Naruto's Change of Scenery
by NeoKenshin
Summary: Naruto's finally had it and wants to quit Team 7 and leave Konoha. However a pale eyed girl learns about his greatest hidden secret, and because of it, Naruto gets a new change of scenery in his life. Naruto's back and how will things change?
1. Chapter 1

Naruto: Hey a back in the day fic! Wow, forgot I was that crazy in the Anime

Neokenshin: Eh, just popped in the head so I figured I'd write it out. It's just a short One-shot.

Naruto:Well hope all enjoy. Kishi owns Naruto!

* * *

Another day passed as Naruto walked towards the training grounds for training. The Chuunin Exams had come and gone and it had been a month since he and Jiraiya returned with Tsunade. He looked on the bridge and watched as Sakura continued to fawn over Sasuke, and Sasuke continued to brush her off.

"I still don't see what's so damn special about Sasuke-teme. It's not like he's a Chuunin or anything." Naruto said nonchalantly.

"Shut it Naruto. You know Sasuke is ten times the shinobi you could ever be. I don't know why you even want to compare yourself to him." Sakura snipped angrily. "So Sasuke-kun, did you want to train together today?"

"Hmph" Sasuke took no heed to her words and simply blew her off. Naruto saw this as a chance to move in and maybe change the air of things.

"I'll train with you Sakura-chan! I learned a lot from Ero-sennin and Baa-chan while I was gone. Want me to show you?" Naruto hoped that he could show off the Rasengan to impress Sakura but it was futile. The only thing he got from his request was another fist to the face.

"I told you, leave me alone you idiot!" Sakura growled. "There's nothing you can show me that will make you better than Sasuke-kun! You've never been better than Sasuke-kun and you never will!"

"Sakura-chan, I…" Naruto tried to defend himself, but Sakura kept going.

"All you do is try this and try that to show you can be better than Sasuke-kun. When are you going to get it in your head that compared to him, you are WORTHLESS! You only got lucky when you passed the graduation exam, probably because you whined to Iruka-sensei,"

"I did not do…"

Sakura wasn't letting up, "Then you only got in the way in Wave and because of it, I thought Sasuke-kun was killed. Then you wouldn't help Sasuke-kun in the Chuunin exams and he got hurt by Orochimaru."

"That wasn't my fault!" Naruto retorted.

"Oh yeah, well let's see, you probably did something that got you an easy win against Neji, because let's face it, you are nowhere near his level. And then you have the audacity to cause Sasuke-kun to be put into a coma because some crazy ninjas were chasing after you. As far as I'm concerned, you've always been the weakest link in this team and honestly, Sasuke-kun and I would be better off without you." Sakura spat out. She was even going to add injury to insult as she brought her fist back. "And I have HAD IT with your incessant asking me to do anything with…" She was about to strike Naruto with everything she had when the unexpected happened.

Naruto caught her fist in mid air, and stared deep at Sakura. "You know something…you call me weak, you call me worthless, you say I'm the one that causes the problems with this team." He started constricting his grip on Sakura's fist, sending pain through her arm. "Well let me tell you something, Sakura…" Sakura stuttered at the fact that for the first time, Naruto didn't call her 'Sakura-chan'. "I passed my graduation test because I forced myself to learn a Jounin level jutsu in one day, because I WANTED to pass. Then I had to deal with being attacked by Mizuki-sensei, who I thought really wanted to help me."

"Naruto, stop this…you're really hurting me." She was now down on one knee as Naruto continued to squeeze her fist.

"Oh I am now…what about all those times you hurt me for no reason? Now where was I? Oh yeah, let's see, if it wasn't for my idea to team up with Sasuke, then Zabuza would have killed all of us in Wave country, including your weak self!" Naruto roared. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura ever saw him like this, and it started to make things interesting. "The Chuunin Exams…who was the one that fought off those Rain ninja for eight hours so you guys could rest? It sure as hell wasn't Sasuke."

"Naruto…please! This really hurts!" Sakura was now in tears from the crushing pain in her hand, but Naruto wasn't letting up.

"No Sakura, you're going to finally feel all the pain you've given me for being nice to you. As I was saying, in the Chuunin Exams…I had to go find my own help while your precious little Sasuke had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Oh now that I think about it, if Sasuke really cared about you, would he be standing over there watching you cry like this right now?" Naruto snapped as he forced Sakura to both knees now. "Guess he doesn't give a crap about you, does he?"

"Sasuke-kun, please make him stop this." Sakura whined, but Sasuke didn't move. It wasn't his problem so why should he get involved.

"Now where was I Sakura, oh yeah, I was the one that saved your worthless ass from Gaara, not Sasuke. He couldn't even make a dent, let alone take on Gaara when he summoned that Shukaku thing! In fact, Sasuke doesn't even know how to summon ANYTHING! Then the coma thing…if it wasn't for me, Baa-chan wouldn't have even taken a second look at your precious little boyfriend!" Naruto put more force into his grip, slowly causing some bones to start breaking in Sakura's hand. "So where were we now…yeah comparing me to Sasuke. Hmm, well where do I start?"

"You comparing yourself to me again, dobe? Doesn't matter what you know. You're still beneath me." Sasuke smirked when he saw no change in Naruto's demeanor.

"Oh really now. Let's see here, I asked around and found some things out. That Chidori of yours…it's a B-rank ninjutsu." He already created a clone and started creating the Rasengan in his free hand. "You see this? The Rasengan belonged to the Yondaime himself! I was told that not only is it an A-rank jutsu, but it's not even complete! That means it's only at half power!"

"You lie! There's no way you can know an A-rank jutsu! I should be the one that knows it!" Sasuke was furious that Naruto was actually showing off.

"Oh it's true." He dispelled the Rasengan but tightened his grip some more on Sakura, breaking more bones in her hand. "And there's one more thing Sasuke…you can't even summon a thing while I was able to summon the Toad Boss not once, but twice! That shows just how far behind you are."

"That's it. You and me, right here, right now!" Sasuke was royally pissed now. He was ready to take on Naruto full speed when Kakashi finally arrived.

"Hey what's…Naruto, what are you doing to Sakura?" His happy demeanor changed when he saw Sakura in severe pain.

"You really want to know?" Naruto threw Sakura's hand down, watching as she grabbed it in tears. "I was about to go see Baa-chan and put in my resignation from this pathetic team! I'm sick of being treated like worthless crap when I go out and try to kill myself for you people!"

"Naruto, what are you even talking about?" Kakashi asked as he checked on Sakura. "Now maybe you should apologize to Sakura for this. She's seriously hurt."

"Good! Serves her right for all the times she's hurt me! She's so stuck on that loser you call a favorite that she's probably the most worthless kunoichi in this village!" Naruto yelled back. "And YOU! You have to be the most useless excuse of a teacher ever! Even Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei have done way more than you!"

"Naruto, that's enough." Kakashi said sternly.

"No it's not! You go off and treat Sasuke like he's a crown prince, while you haven't taught us anything! I found out that both Teams 8 and 10 knew how to do both tree walking, water walking, and they knew their elemental affinities by the end of the Chuunin Exams!" Naruto was totally enraged now. "And what did you teach us? NOTHING! But you'd go teach Sasuke everything when he doesn't deserve a damn thing! He's never had to earn anything since he became a genin! Well you know something; I don't want to be taught like that! I'd rather go off and try to learn things by myself than be with this team. I have a better chance of becoming a Chuunin on my own than deal with you people. Goodbye!" He turned off and headed to the Hokage tower as fast as he could.

"Naruto…" Kakashi tried to stop him but Naruto was already gone.

"Good, maybe now I can get some decent training in. We going now?" Sasuke was ready to head out when Sakura said something.

"Sasuke-kun, he hurt me and you're not going to do anything? Why?" she cried in tears as Kakashi tended to her hand.

"If you got hurt that easily, than you probably deserved it. Shows just how weak and useless you are to this team." At that point, Sakura felt like her world shattered. She had never heard Sasuke be so cold to her. It was like he rammed his fist into her chest and ripped out her heart. "Whatever. If you're going to stand around, I'm going to train on my own. Later." With that he took off into the forest to train, leaving Sakura and Kakashi alone.

"Great, I really screwed this one up." Kakashi said as he helped Sakura to her feet. "Come on Sakura, let's get you to the hospital to have that hand checked out."

Little did they know, Team 7 had been secretly watched by both Teams 8 and 10. Neither group could believe just how bad the team really was, let alone how Naruto felt. However just as Naruto left, a certain pale-eyed girl took off after him.

* * *

Hinata made it to the tower in record time and made her way to Tsunade's office. Naruto was already inside, pleading his case to Tsunade. She felt bad for eavesdropping, but she really wanted to make sure Naruto was ok. The door was slightly open so she stayed as quiet as possible and listened in…

"Naruto, you want to what?" Tsunade couldn't believe what she heard. "You actually want to quit Team 7?"

"I don't want anything more to do with those people. I'm sick of always being nice to them, only to be treated like I'm worthless, useless, and weak. Kakashi-sensei hasn't taught me anything since we learned tree walking. Sakura will hit me, punch me, kick me, slap me, or inflict any other type of bodily harm to me just because I treat her like she's royalty. And then there's Sasuke, oh sweet little Sasuke. All I am to him is just something to make him look good in front of everyone." Naruto pleaded. "Well, I don't want that life anymore. I'd rather go off and leave the village than be with those people again."

"Naruto, I advise you watch what you say." Tsunade said grimly.

"Why should I? As a matter of fact what has ANYONE in this whole damn village done for me, huh? Except for old man Ichiraku and Ayame-chan, and maybe Iruka-sensei, everyone treats me like I'm scum, like I'm a demon, all because of the damn fox!" Naruto lashed out. Hinata was suddenly shocked into what she heard. She had been told the Kyuubi was killed, but now she wasn't so sure. "And that's nothing! I go out and give my heart and soul for this pathetic village just to come home to threats, a destroyed apartment, assassination attempts…just this month alone I've had 40 assassination attempts on me while I was asleep!"

Tsunade was shocked about what she was hearing. It had only been the 5th of the month and this was how bad it was for Naruto? "It still doesn't matter. You're a shinobi of Konoha and you have a duty to uphold."

At this point Naruto didn't care at all; he was done with being walked on, stepped on, treated like crap, ignored, and hurt. He took off his hitai-ate and looked at it one last time before slamming it on Tsunade's desk. "Then I don't want to be a shinobi of Konoha anymore. I formally resign as a Konoha Shinobi and ask for permanent leave from this village. I'd rather go to a village that would at least treat me like a human than live here."

Tsunade knew that couldn't happen, not with Akatsuki out looking for him. "Naruto you are not leaving here! I will not let Minato's dream for you be destroyed like that!" In her haste she suddenly realized what she said, hoping she didn't reveal the biggest secret in Konoha.

"Minato's dream? Who in the world is this Minato and what dream did he have for me? Or are you going to be like everyone else in this world and tell me it's nothing." Naruto asked. He saw Tsunade's speechless response and knew he was right. "Guess this Minato guy was nothing but a loser anyway. I'm out of here."

Tsunade snapped when she heard those words. "You will not speak of the Yondaime like that!"

"Yondaime…the Yondaime's name is Minato? What did the Yondaime want with me? It's bad enough he put this stupid fox in me. I didn't ask for this!" Naruto said. "I didn't ask to be cursed for my entire life."

Hinata started thinking about what she'd over heard. Learning that the Yondaime actually sealed the Kyuubi in Naruto instead of killing it revealed a lot to her. "Naruto-kun's hated because of this? But why would the Yondaime do something like that?" It was then she looked upon the wall and saw the picture of the Yondaime, thinking about the events revealed.

"Listen kid, Minato had his reasons for doing what he did. Just be glad he chose you instead of someone else." Tsunade snapped back. "You should be honored for what you do for this village."

"Oh yeah, I should be honored for being the village's personal scapegoat! I really love being their personal punching bag." Naruto said with tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I love coming home in the past because things were so bad for me, that I'd end up drinking a full bottle of bleach just to try and kill myself. Why would anyone need to feel like that! As far as I'm concerned, the Yondaime made the stupidest mistake in choosing me to hold this damn fox!"

"Minato did it because he wasn't willing to make any other parent make a sacrifice like that!" Tsunade snapped in anger. She quickly covered her mouth, hoping Naruto didn't realize that she revealed his greatest secret.

"Yeah so he picked some kid out of an orphanage to make miserable." Naruto retorted back. "That's just great that the greatest hero of this village felt glad that I should be the scapegoat."

Hinata took in Tsunade's words, thinking what she meant by Minato not willing to make any other parent make a sacrifice. As she stared hard at his picture, she started noticing a lot of similarities. The blonde hair, the smile, and finally…the blue eyes. As she pieced everything together, she came across the greatest secret in Konoha… "NARUTO-KUN'S THE SON OF THE YONDAIME!" The sheer shock was enough to put her on the floor, knocked out.

* * *

"What in the…" Tsunade overheard the outburst and Naruto just froze. If there was one thing that Naruto didn't need to hear, it was that. She had to go out and see just who caused it.

"I…I…that's…it's not true." He was trying to process all of this when Tsunade came in with a passed out Hinata. "Baa-chan, what she said…that's a lie!"

Tsunade sighed as she placed Hinata on the small sofa in her office. Taking precaution this time, she sealed the room and placed a soundproof barrier around it. "Naruto, as much as I don't want to do this, I have no choice now." She slowly awoke the passed out Hyuuga to hopefully get some answers out of her as well.

"Huh, what, where…Naruto-kun!" She looked around, getting her bearings and realizing she was now before the Godaime and her crush. "Hokage-sama, I…I.

"Hinata, I want you to listen. As of right now what is said in this room is not to be released by anyone. You have uncovered the greatest secret of Konoha, and by no means can you reveal it until the right time, do I make myself clear." The Hyuuga girl quickly nodded in understanding. "Alright then, since there is no hiding it…yes Naruto, Hinata is correct. You are the very son of Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha."

"This is, but…why? If that's all true, then why would he do this to me?" Naruto questioned in shock.

Tsunade sighed as she went to the Forbidden Scroll. She pressed a small button underneath to reveal a hidden compartment. "Naruto, this was to be given to you upon the time you become a Jounin or the day you turn 16. But that can't happen now." She handed over a scroll to the blonde. "This is the last words of Minato just before the attack of the Kyuubi. If you are unsure, have Hinata check the scroll. She can tell if it's authentic."

Naruto opened the scroll, unsure of what to expect. "Yeah I'll believe it when I see it." He looked over everything and began to read…

_To my son Naruto,_

_I write this to you in the hopes that you would have become a strong and powerful shinobi. Right now the Kyuubi is fast approaching and I don't have much time. There is no way I can destroy a being of such power, so I must do the next thing, I have to seal it. I cannot ask any other parent to make this ultimate sacrifice to save the village, but my greatest dream is that you will be seen as a true hero. For it will be you that protects this village every single morning you wake up, every time you walk down the street, and every time you go to sleep. There is no one else I know that would have the strength to protect the millions of people in our home._

_Your mother would have been so proud of you, not even a day old and you would be one of the greatest heroes since the Shodaime and Nidaime. Kushina always said you were destined for great things, and she's right. You will be destined for great things. I believe that someday, you will take up that mantle as Hokage like your father before you, and lead the village into a Golden Era of prosperity, loyalty, and justice._

_I wish I could say more my son, but time grows nigh. Always know that you are without a doubt the greatest achievement of my life. I am so happy to call myself your father. I wish you the greatest of happiness in the future._

_Love your father,_

_Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha._

_P.S. In the future, be wary of pink haired girls. They have this really bad fangirl gene that can drive a man nuts. Now those pale eyed Hyuuga girls…those are the really special ones. The only girl sweeter and nicer than them was your mother Kushina. Hey what's to say a dad can't give his son a little advice._

Naruto was stunned. He wasn't sure of what to believe from reading the scroll. However Hinata sealed the deal for him.

"N-Naruto-kun, it's a real scroll. It's laced with chakra to verify it authenticity." She told him.

"He wanted me…to be seen as a hero?" Naruto said quietly.

"Yes he did, but it was the council and villagers that saw differently. They saw you as the Kyuubi reborn and not as the jailer of the beast." Tsunade sighed as she took the scroll from him. "If Minato's wishes had been respected, then maybe your life would have been much different?"

"How? I'd have been treated as a crown prince? I'd have everything given to me on a silver platter? Yeah that's the life. Then I'd end up just as stuck up as Sasuke." Naruto retorted. "You know what, I respect what he did, and I have to say I'm honored. But this village doesn't deserve to have me around. Sorry Baa-chan, but I'm just going to leave and go where I know I could have a chance at being appreciated." He turned to walk to the door, but he was soon stopped.

"Y-you can't leave!" Naruto looked to see his hand in the grip of Hinata's hand. He could sense her trembling, almost as if she was scared.

"Why should I stay? I mean you're even shaking probably because you're afraid of me." Naruto said in a negative tone.

"Y-y-you're wrong N-Naruto-kun." The pale-eyed kunoichi was trying to summon every ounce of courage she had. "I'm n-n-not afraid of y-y-you. I'm afraid of w-w-what you're going to say."

"What I'm going to say?"

Hinata took the deepest breath she could in hopes of getting everything out, "I don't want you to leave because when you're around Naruto-kun, I have no reason to be afraid of anything. You're the reason that I didn't quit in the Chuunin Exams and it was you that inspired me to never give up even when things are bad. I learned to always give it everything I have because of you, and I've learned so much because of it. And the most important reason I don't want you to leave is because I love you Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes went wide upon hearing the confession from Hinata, "Why would you love someone like me? Is it because I'm the son of the Yondaime? I mean you're practically a princess here in Konoha, and you want someone like me?" He gently removed her hand from his arm. "Sorry Hinata, but I don't think you know what you're talking about. I'm glad I could do something nice, but there's no way you could love someone like me." Hinata then grabbed his arm again and pulled out a kunai, slashing his palm open, causing some of his blood to fall to the ground. "Hinata, what the hell…" He then saw something not expected. She reached down and placed her fingers in the fallen blood, just like he did at the Chuunin preliminaries.

"Kiba-kun told me what you did." Hinata said without stutter. "He said you swore on my own blood that you would defeat Neji, and you did. That's why I do this. I am swearing on your own blood that everything I told you is true."

Naruto was speechless and didn't know what to think, until Tsunade whispered in his ear, "I hope you read the last bit of that scroll. Didn't it say something about avoiding pink haired girls, and how Hyuuga girls are a lot nicer?"

"Naruto-kun, I d-don't care what people think about you, but I know that you are a hero. I'll always see you as a hero no matter what." She held her fist coated in his blood before him. "And like you said, I'm not going to run away and I never go back on my word. That is my nindo, my ninja way."

"You're really serious? I…I mean I…don't know what to think." Naruto was still confused over the whole thing. "Uh, Baa-chan, what the heck do I do now?"

Tsunade just sighed at the blonde idiot. "Naruto, you have to be the dumbest person in the world. A girl just told you she loves you and you ask me what you're supposed to do?"

"Well yeah, I mean this is kinda new you know!" Naruto started over-reacting but soon forgot Hinata was there.

"You idiot. Ok considering that you're tired of Sakura, why don't you ask Hinata a question you would have normally asked Sakura?" asked the Godaime. "Maybe this time you'll get a better response."

"Huh, oh yeah! Hey Hinata-chan, you wanna go to Ichiraku's with me?" Naruto asked with a cheesy grin.

Considering that Naruto had just asked Hinata out, her mind became flooded with thoughts as her face turned bright red. "Y-y-yes!" She screamed out before she passed out.

"Hey, Hinata-chan? You ok? You don't have a fever or anything do you?" He tried shaking her awake, but she just lay there out cold, but with a nice smile on her face.

Tsunade just took a bottle of sake from her desk and poured herself a drink, "I swear, he's dumber than Minato ever was. How Kushina ever fell for that blonde baka, I'll never know." She downed her shot quickly, "At least Hinata will be able to calm Naruto down…I hope."

* * *

**Just a little short of Naruto getting a new change of scenery.**


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto: I thought you were only making this a oneshot.

Neokenshin: Well I was, but apparently I got a lot of good reviews about the first chapter, and they wanted more.

Naruto: This isn't gonna take you away from the Bijuu Wars is it?

Neokenshin: Naa. It's a small side project. This one probably won't go more than 3 or 4 chapters.

Naruto: Oh well, everyone enjoy it! You know the deal with Kishmoto too!

* * *

Chapter 2

Naruto woke up, feeling that today would be a better day for him. After finding out he was the son of the greatest Hokage ever, and finding out that Hinata loves him, it actually made him feel like he could do a lot of good today. It was also the day he started looking for a new team as well.

(Flashback)

Hinata had finally woken back up after fainting from Naruto asking her out for ramen, and had left to return home. Before Naruto left, Tsunade wanted to explain some things to him.

"Well, since I now take it that you won't be leaving the village, the fact remains Naruto, is that you still need a team." Tsunade explained to him. "What I want you to do for the next three days is to spend a day with Teams 8, 10, and Team Gai."

Naruto looked a little confused, but knew it would be better than getting yelled at by Sakura and ignored by Kakashi and Sasuke. "Ok, so what is it that you want me to do with these teams?"

"Each team is different Naruto. I want you to observe how they work and see if there is something in particular that catches your interest. I'll be setting up some mock scenarios so that you can truly see how they work. Tomorrow I want you to start with Team 8. I'll have Kurenai meet you in the morning." Tsunade said as she started drawing up the plans. "I'll speak with the Jounin later today and give them the details. Oh and one more thing Naruto…"

"Yeah, what is it Baa-chan?" he asked as he took his hitai-ate back and tied it around his head.

"About you being Minato's son and the Kyuubi, I'll leave that up to you to decide if you want to let them know. I know it's a big thing, but it's your choice Naruto. The only thing I can tell you is that sometimes, your real friends will appear when you tell your greatest secrets." Tsunade said comfortingly. "You've already earned one true friend, so you should be proud of that."

"Thanks Baa-chan, I'll remember that." Naruto said as he left her office.

(End flashback)

"My real friends will appear when I tell my greatest secrets." Naruto said to himself as he tied his hitai-ate. "I just hope everyone else will be as understanding as Hinata-chan is." While he was waiting, he looked around his apartment and figured he needed a change of scenery. The place was kinda messy so he summoned a few clone to clean the place up. "New day, new goals. Guess I should make this a new goal as well." After cleaning, he left his apartment and saw Kurenai already on her way to meet him. It was definitely a surprise to him to see a Jounin sensei that wasn't late.

"Good morning Naruto. You look well today." Kurenai said warmly as she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei. I didn't know you'd be coming to meet me today." Naruto said, feeling surprised.

"Well, since you are a guest of my team today, I want to make a good impression." Kurenai said. "Now let me ask, have you had breakfast yet?" Naruto nodded negatively. "Well that's good then. You'll get to join our team for breakfast. I asked Hinata to prepare an extra breakfast meal for you as well."

"Hinata-chan cooked it?" asked Naruto. Kurenai was a little surprised when he heard her address Hinata so warmly.

"_So I was right. She must have finally told him and he accepted it. Naruto, you don't know what a treasure you just found."_ Kurenai thought to herself. "Actually yes, she's quite a cook. I'm sure you'll like what she prepared." Before they went on, she stepped in front of him and kneeled down to face him eye to eye, "Naruto, I want to also thank you as well. I want to thank you for being a true inspiration to Hinata. She tries so hard to be the best, but you're that thing that pushes her to new heights."

"Kurenai-sensei, it's no big deal. I never knew that I was appreciated by someone until she told me yesterday." Naruto remembered all of Hinata's words, including her blood oath as well. "In all honesty, I think she should be the one you thank. I was ready to leave Konoha and everything behind if it wasn't for her, and something else I learned as well." He looked down at his stomach, knowing about the seal.

"So it surprised you that she didn't reject you when she found out about the Kyuubi and about your father as well?" Kurenai said, startling Naruto even more. "Yes, we Jounin knew about it, but we were forced never to say anything about it to you in order to try and protect you. For that Naruto, I want to say I'm sorry."

_"They were forced…geez how shady are things around here?"_ Naruto thought to himself. "Well it doesn't matter. It's a new day, and a chance for new things."

"I like your attitude Naruto. I think you'll be very pleased at what you learn today." Kurenai said as they continued to the training field. On the way, they met up with Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, of which Shino and Kiba were a little confused as to why Naruto was with Kurenai. She explained that Naruto was in the process of looking for a new team, and today he would be working with Team 8. They both agreed and continued on to the training fields.

* * *

Along the way, they passed by Sasuke and Sakura, who were waiting on the bridge for Kakashi…again. "Naruto, what is wrong with you? Why are you so late!" Sakura screamed at him. "Because of you, we missed practice yesterday!"

Naruto took note of the cast Sakura's hand was in. "Sakura, what made you think I was practicing with you. I already told you, I quit Team 7." Naruto replied coolly. "I said I didn't want to be with a team that treats me like I'm nothing, that ignores me and doesn't teach me anything, and a team that would allow me to be hurt at any time just for being nice. So as far as I'm concerned, I have nothing to do with you. So why don't you go play fangirl to that spoiled little loser over there and watch as you continue to get weaker, and he continues to have everything handed to him on a silver platter." Sakura couldn't believe Naruto just talked to her like this, let alone insult Sasuke again. She was about to hit him with her other fist, when Hinata moved like lightning and grabbed her arm.

If there was one thing Hinata would not tolerate, it's someone wrongfully hurting Naruto, and Sakura was one person who had gone over the edge with it. "If you so much as lay a hand on even one blond hair on his head, I will put more than your hand in a cast, you pink haired freak." She stared hard at Sakura, Byakugan blazing in rage. Absolutely NO one had ever seen Hinata like this, and it was a shock to them all.

"Holy crap! Shino, since when did she ever get like this? I don't think I've ever seen Hinata pissed off!" Kiba whispered over to Shino.

"I believe that since yesterday, Hinata learned of new things from Naruto. I have noticed she has been very elated today and she is more confident." Shino replied calmly. "I surmise that she may have very well revealed her secret to him, and he accepted it."

Kiba thought about those words and realized Shino was usually right. "So the big dork finally knows. Well we'll just have to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, right?"

"Agreed." Shino added.

Naruto went over and calmly removed Hinata's hand from Sakura's, "Thanks Hinata-chan, but there's no need in you wasting energy on her. Honestly you could beat her in a fight with one hand tied behind your back." He turned back to Sakura with a cold look. "Sakura, I would advise that you NOT make her mad. I don't like it when my real friends get hurt, and trust me if she was hurt and you were the cause…well I don't think anything could save you from the wrath of the Yondaime's son."

"Wait…Yondaime's son? Naruto what the heck are you talking about?" Kiba asked. "Since when are you the Yondaime's son?"

Naruto turned back and smiled, "Since Hinata-chan here found out yesterday. Yeah it was a big shocker for me, but it's just a title. I'm still the same Naruto as I was before."

"Naruto, you lie! There is no way that you're the son of the greatest Hokage that ever lived." Sasuke snapped out. "You're too much of a dobe for that to be true."

"I'm sorry to say this Sasuke, but Naruto's right. He is the only son of the Yondaime Hokage." Kurenai replied. "You can even ask Kakashi as well. He was a student of the Yondaime."

"Naruto, look…I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were the son of a Hokage. If it will make things up, could we still be friends?" Sakura asked. She held out her hand, hoping he would shake it, but Naruto just slapped it away.

"Are you really THAT shallow? Just five minutes ago you were ready to hit me again!" Naruto was enraged that she could sink so low. "Now you find out that I'm a more important person than Sasuke will EVER be, and you want to be friends? Why didn't you try being my friend after people treated me like crap! Why didn't you try to be my friend when I risked my life for you! Why didn't you try to be my friend after I saved you from Gaara!"

"Naruto, I…it's just…I…" Sakura tried to find her words, but everyone really saw her for who she was. A shallow fangirl who only wanted to be with the popular crowd.

"Sakura, why don't I make things easy for you. NEVER ask me for a favor ever again! You are nothing but a useless excuse of a kunoichi, and you'll never be anything more than that." Naruto screamed. "So I hope you enjoy your career as a shinobi, because it sure isn't going anywhere." As he finished going off on Sakura, Kakashi lazily arrived without a care in the world.

"Good morning! Sorry I'm late…got lost on the road of life again." Kakashi said, noticing Naruto and Team 8. "Kurenai, so what brings you here this morning?"

"My team was on its way for training this morning. Naruto will be joining us as well, since he is a free ninja after all." Kurenai said with a hint of venom. "We shouldn't keep things waiting. Come on everyone." They all began to leave while Naruto was the last to go.

"You know something Kakashi? Maybe you need to ask yourself something. What would your sensei say to you if he saw how you treated me." Naruto said as he walked off.

"Sensei? What is he talking about?" Kakashi asked. "Sakura, Sasuke, what does he mean?"

"Apparently Naruto says he's the son of the Yondaime. He found out yesterday. I think it's a lie." Sasuke said. "Now are we going to train or what?"

"Sasuke, how do you even know that? That is the highest guarded secret in the village?" Kakashi stressed the direness of that secret. "None of you are to even know about that."

"Sensei…then it's true? He really is the son of the Yondaime?" Sakura couldn't believe it. Not just one, but two Jounin told confirmed Naruto's father.

"Yes Sakura. And I am afraid this team just ruined any chance of him coming back." Kakashi sighed in defeat. "I understand what he meant about my sensei now. Minato-sensei would be heavily disappointed."

"Yondaime's son or not, he's still a loser." Sasuke smirked. "He'll still amount to nothing anyway and I'll always be better than him."

"Sasuke, you don't truly know what things could have been like, do you? If everyone knew Naruto was the Yondaime's son, you would NOT have been the top genin this year." Kakashi rebuked. "Naruto would have received private training from every top Jounin in the academy, he would be catered to left and right, and everyone would ensure that he would be treated as Konoha's crown prince…because he truly is that. You would have been a shadow to him Sasuke."

"I am an Uchiha! I am an elite! There's no way he could be higher than me." Sasuke retorted. "My name means everything in this village."

"Yeah it does, but if Naruto had taken his father's last name…then Uchiha would just be another plain ninja name in this village. Naruto would be the number one, have the fangirls, be the best…and you'd be second Sasuke. That's just how it is." Kakashi looked over the bridge at the water. "Let's go, we have training today."

* * *

Over the next three days Naruto had enjoyed his training sessions with the other teams. After the bridge incident, both Kiba and Shino thought it was pretty cool that he was the Yondaime's son, but Kiba still called him an idiot from time to time. Naruto accepted this and saw that neither of the two saw him any differently. They did have a little conversation about him and Hinata, since they did consider her like a little sister. Naruto said he was new to all of this and didn't really want to mess things up, so he was going to take it slowly. The other two teams were accepting as well, especially Neji. He understood the burden Naruto endured more than anything and saw him as more of an equal, due to the fact that he didn't use his heritage for an advantage. There was one major problem with everything. Sasuke was becoming more and more enraged that all of this attention was going to Naruto. No one ever thought he was jealous, but the green eyes of envy began to show.

For days he kept demanding that Naruto shouldn't be getting this treatment. Each day, Tsunade brushed him off over his impudent jealousy. One day however, it finally pissed her off.

"What makes you think you're so damn special Uchiha? Because everyone's handed everything to you on a silver platter?" Tsunade had Sasuke by his collar, hanging off the ground. "You think that just because you're the villages little prince, you get what you want? That's not how life works!"

"But…I'm an Uchiha! I deserve…"

"You deserve not a damn thing!" Tsunade threw him to the ground fiercely. "Let me ask you something boy, I hope you remember your village history. Do you know how the village was founded?"

"What's that got to do with this?" Sasuke asked as he got to his feet.

"More than you know. Since you don't, let me remind you. You know that the Shodaime was the first Hokage of course, but do you know who he fought against in order to claim that title?" Tsunade asked calmly. Sasuke didn't answer. "No answer…well he defeated Madara Uchiha. Yes, an Uchiha was one of the founding clans of this village! But if they were so superior as you say, then wouldn't Madara have been the Shodaime?"

"That's not right! The Uchiha should have…"

"They should have nothing! The Senju won that battle and earned the right. EARNED! It wasn't given to them. Do you think that I became a Sannin because it was given to me? Do you even know who I really am?" Tsunade asked. "My last name is SENJU! That's right brat, I am the granddaughter of the person that defeated your ancestor! But did I flaunt my name around and have the village give me anything? This damn village didn't even want a use for medical shinobi! I had to earn every ounce of respect I have!"

"What's that got to do with me? I'm the last Uchiha in this village. Konoha needs me." Sasuke snapped back.

"Konoha need you like a dog needs fleas. The only reason this village wants you is because of your Sharingan. Your little advantage as they say." Tsunade replied. "If you didn't have that, you'd be some ordinary ninja just like the rest of the village. No one would give a damn if you were an Uchiha or someone else."

"I don't believe you! This village loves me!" Sasuke screamed. "I am the prince of this village."

Tsunade knew where this was going and knew her experiment would be a good one. "Really now. Then I have an experiment planned." She looked as the second person she needed arrived. "Naruto, good to see you came."

"Not really sure why, but what do you need Baa-chan?" Naruto asked, when he saw Sasuke. "And what is this loser doing here?"

"Naruto, I have an experiment I'm going to be testing and you and Sasuke will be helping me." Tsunade said as she walked over to Sasuke. "Sasuke here believes that he's still superior because he's an Uchiha. Well, I want you to prove him dead wrong."

Naruto loved what he was hearing and was all ears. "What do I have to do?"

"You two boys will be learning a new jutsu. But there are some stipulations. You only have one week to master this jutsu. Naruto, you won't have access to the Kage Bunshin at all. I will have you under constant surveillance by the ANBU to ensure you don't use it. As for you Sasuke, your Sharingan will be sealed for one week. You will not have access to the Sharingan at all." Tsunade explained. "Now I know you're probably complaining about this, but there is a benefit."

"And what would that be?" asked Sasuke.

"The person that masters this jutsu will be allowed to start studying my Super Strength techniques in addition to their ninja training." Tsunade said, getting both of their attention. Sasuke had seen her monstrous strength in action and knew if he had the ability to do it, it would make him an even more powerful shinobi and prove he was better than Naruto. Plus it would even prove to Tsunade that he didn't need his Sharingan to show just how powerful he was. "However if neither of you master it, I will judge your skills accordingly and the one that I see has made the most significant progress will receive private tutoring from me in order to finish the jutsu."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and neither one was ready to back down. "Alright, what's the jutsu?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade channeled some chakra into her hand, turning it green. She took a kunai and sliced Sasuke's arm, then placed her green hand over it, healing it quickly. "You will both attempt to learn the Mystic Palm Jutsu. It is a standard jutsu for any medic-nin. I must warn you though, it is NOT an easy jutsu to learn."

"How in the hell is a healing jutsu going to help me?" asked Sasuke as he jerked his hand away.

"Because Sasuke, in order to use my Super Strength techniques, you must have acute chakra control. The only way you'll be able to learn it is by mastering the Mystic Palm Jutsu." She went back to her desk and gave each boy a scroll with the information on the jutsu. Before she finished, she went over and placed a seal on Sasuke's head, sending some slight pain through his eyes, but sealing his Sharingan temporarily. "You have the entire village at your disposal. I hope to see some fruitful results boys."

Sasuke looked down at his scroll and gripped it tighter. Sending a sharp glare at Naruto, he vowed he would not be defeated. "You're not going to win dobe. I'll prove to you just how elite I am."

"Prove yourself with action, not words Sasuke." Naruto returned the same glare as he took his leave.

Tsunade watched as both boys left with their challenge. She had a very good feeling about her experiment, and hoped it would even open Naruto up to a whole new field. "Sasuke, I hope you realize just what you agreed to. Naruto will work himself day and night to beat you, and I think you'll realize just how lucky you've been. Maybe you won't take your name for granted anymore."

* * *

Meanwhile, another clan was taking notice of some changes as well. Hiashi watched on as Neji and Hinata were sparring, and had seen some significant changes. He knew of Neji's hard work and skill, but what surprised him was Hinata's sudden level of improvement. He felt that this should be looked into more.

"That is enough for now." He signaled the two to stop. Both bowed in respect and turned to bow to Hiashi. "Neji, excellent work as always."

"Thank you Hiashi-sama." Neji bowed in respect.

"And Hinata, I must say I have noticed your improvement. You still lack in multiple areas though." Hiashi commented, keeping a straight face.

"I u-understand Otou-sama. I'll do better next time." Hinata bowed and took her leave, allowing Neji and Hiashi to speak alone.

"Neji, tell me something. Have you noticed some changes in her? I've never seen her spar with this level of intensity." Hiashi questioned. "Do you have any idea?"

"Actually I do Hiashi-sama. Recently she has been training with Naruto Uzumaki. I have watched from a distance when she spars with him. She goes at him with full force and can be very unrelenting. I've even seen her defeat him in one or two spars." Neji commented as the two sat on the porch. "However, there is one thing that he does that seems to cause the greatest effect on Hinata-sama."

Hiashi was intrigued. The boy known as the 'Demon of Konoha' was pushing his daughter to be stronger? "Tell me, what is it that you observe."

"I notice that he constantly gives her positive reinforcement. Not just for her victories, but for her defeats as well. This instillation of confidence boosts her potential and forces her to fight harder. Coupled with the fact that she is very fond of Naruto, I foresee that it will only push her to become stronger." Neji replied.

"I see." Hiashi thought over things and began to ponder. "Neji, for now I want you to keep observation over both Hinata and Naruto and inform me of any changes."

Neji got to his feet and bowed in respect, "Of course Hiashi-sama. It shall be done." He took his leave to allow Hiashi to think things over.

"So Minato…seems your boy is out to prove things differently in the world. Well, we'll see how he fares after a little test of mine. I predict he'll definitely prove a lot of people wrong." Hiashi said as he watched the moving clouds in the sky.

* * *

**The next chapter will probably be a little bit into the training, and probably some exposition on Sakura's viewpoint. This story will end with the beginning of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, but it will be NOTHING like the main story at all. Till next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto: Wow, this is getting good! Everyone's really liking this.

Neokenshin: Yeah it's definitely new ground for me, but I keep getting ideas.

Naruto: Well I can't wait to see what more happens. Keep it rolling people! Kishi owns the Naruto bunch!

* * *

Chapter 3

Sakura wasn't faring so well for the past few days. Not only was her hand in a cast from where Naruto crushed it, but also Sasuke was paying her no heed even more, and she was even told that she was possibly the weakest kunoichi in the village. She thought to herself that it was impossible, as she got the highest scores of the kunoichi in the Academy, and was placed on the same team as Sasuke. However she kept mulling over Naruto's secret and his reaction to her.

"Why am I thinking about all of this? It doesn't matter who Naruto is. Sasuke-kun is still better than he'll ever be." She sat up from her bed and figured she'd go out and find her precious Sasuke-kun. Kakashi had informed her that Sasuke was undertaking special training for the week, and that he had a mission, so she was left to train herself. It wouldn't really do much because she couldn't work on any jutsu with her hand in a cast. All that left for her was to go walk around the village.

She headed out of her home and took her time through the village. It was actually a nice day, and she enjoyed the warmth of the sun. But for some strange reason, Naruto's words kept ringing through her head.

"Ugh! Why am I still thinking about Naruto?" she said to herself.

"**Maybe because there's a part of you that actually believes everything he said to you."** Replied Inner Sakura. **"You know I actually agree with him about some of the things you do."**

"What? You actually agree with that knuckleheaded idiot? What's the matter with you?" Sakura said to her inner persona. "He's just flaunting some news that he's better because he's the Yondaime's son. Sasuke-kun would still run circles around him."

"**Now let's think about that, ok? Remember that whole fiasco during the Chuunin Exams when you were held captive by that Gaara freak? Naruto was the one that stayed and fought Gaara. Sasuke chickened out and couldn't make a dent!" **Inner Sakura explained. **"Oh and then there was the whole Wave…"**

Sakura decided it was best not to keep going. "Ok, I'm cutting you off. Goodbye!" She pushed her persona back into her mind and didn't feel like talking anymore. "Honestly, she gets so annoying sometimes." Sakura had been so caught up with talking to herself that she didn't see she was in front of the Yamanaka flower shop.

"Well, well. What are you up to, forehead-girl? Not lost in thought are you?" Ino said from the desk. "Because as sunny as it is, you may end up blinding some people if you're not careful."

"Oh shut up Ino-pig." Sakura said as she walked over to look at some flowers. "So, do you have anything that symbolizes encouragement? Sasuke-kun's doing some special training and I want to get him something."

"Sakura, have you even thought about what's happening to your team? You lost your best member, and all you can think about is cheering up Sasuke?" Ino said in frustration. "If I were you, I'd think about figuring out how to apologize to Naruto for all the crap you put him through."

Sakura looked a little stunned, "Why would I apologize to him? What good has he done for me?" She went back to looking at the flowers. "For all I care, our team got a lot better. All he was doing was bringing Sasuke-kun down."

"I don't believe you!" Ino was definitely becoming frustrated. "You really are blind. Let me ask you something. When has Sasuke come up with something to help you get stronger?"

Sakura was a little confused from the question, "What's that got to do with anything Ino?"

"I'll tell you what it has to do. Naruto practiced with our team, and if you really took the time to work with him, you'll know he has a lot of good ideas." Ino said as she snatched a flower out of Sakura's hand. "Thanks to him, my team learned a brand new formation."

"Naruto? That blonde idiot helped your team come up with something?" Sakura looked very doubtful that Naruto could do any good.

"If you only knew, Sakura." Ino replied as she began her explanation.

* * *

(Flashback)

Naruto was now set to practice with Team 10, hoping to gain more knowledge about what he wanted to do. He actually enjoyed learning about tracking and reconnaissance with Team 8, especially when Kurenai told him that his Kage Bunshin was considered one of the best tools for a spy. He could send out clones and combine them with a henge, and then upon dispelling the clone, he would get the knowledge of the clone without revealing his location. Now he was about to learn techniques of subduing and stalling enemies.

"So…you basically have Shikamaru use that shadow jutsu of his, then Ino uses her mind jutsu thing?" asked Naruto.

Asuma nodded, "Yes. As long as Shikamaru has chakra, he can easily take control of an enemy. Ino can then move in with her Mind Body Switch technique."

Naruto understood a little, but that made him wonder about Chouji. "So what does Chouji do? I mean, he doesn't seem like he has anything good going."

"I resent that! I'm just as good." Chouji said with a mouth full of chips.

"Actually, Chouji is our big hitter. He can slow enemies down with his size increasing and his strength." Asuma replied.

"Just as long as you don't call him the f-word, you'll be fine." Ino said. She looked at Naruto and he looked very out of it. "Uh Naruto, are you ok?"

"Um, what's the f-word?" he asked. Ino just sighed and whispered it in his ear. "Wait, you don't want to call him f-"

Shikamaru quickly covered Naruto's mouth. "Trust me, do NOT call him that. Chouji will get seriously pissed."

Naruto agreed until he got hit with another idea. "Hey, I got a question. Do people normally get stronger as they get angrier?"

Team 10 looked at each other, wondering what the blonde meant. "There have been cases of that. It's by a high release of adrenaline when you're angry. That's what my dad says." Ino said.

"Well, what if you did your whole capture thing, and Ino did her mind thing, and then she calls Chouji the f-word. Wouldn't that make him really mad?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto, that has to be…" Ino was going to say it was stupid, but Asuma cut her off.

"Actually Naruto, that isn't a bad idea." Asuma thought about a possible scenario and Naruto proved to be right about it. "Hey guys, Naruto here just came up with a new formation for you."

"What? Asuma-sensei, are you serious?" Ino asked, feeling a bit doubtful.

"I am Ino. See, with Chouji's brute strength, his anger will really push him up, allowing you to take out an opponent much faster. Plus, when Chouji goes into his rage, all he'll see is the ninja that taunted him. They'd be in a world of pain." Asuma replied. "Naruto, good job!"

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji looked at each other and thought about the situation. "He's right. That is a good formation. Wow Naruto, who would have thought you'd come up with something like that?"

"Well, I kinda took a little time to think about things. Since I'm actually being appreciated and listened to, it feels a lot better to put my say in. Normally if I tried to say anything, it would involve Kakashi ignoring me, Sasuke putting me down, and Sakura hitting me." Naruto replied in a down tone. "Yesterday was really nice with Kurenai-sensei giving me compliments and help."

"It really is hard to believe you were the dead last. I guess if you had been given more attention, things might have been better." Ino said as she played around with a flower on the ground.

"Hey Ino, since you work at a flower shop, do you know any jutsu using flowers?" Naruto asked. "I figured since you're handling a moon petal daisy, you'd maybe know one or two jutsu."

Ino was surprised he knew exactly what kind of flower she had. "Naruto, how did you know exactly what kind of flower this is?"

Naruto went over to her to examine the flower more closely. "I actually like to do gardening in my spare time. I have some flowers I take care of at home."

"Two blondes with green thumbs. Now there's something I'd never see." Asuma replied.

(End flashback)

* * *

"Because of him, I'm going to start learning flower ninjutsu from my mom. I never would have even thought about trying something like that. Honestly, Naruto was really helpful." Ino said as she sprayed some water on some flowers. "Not only that, but I've gotten to know him much better. He's a really nice person and a good friend. He's been coming by every evening so we can share gardening tips."

"Ino, you're crazy. There's no way Naruto knows any of that. He's just lying so he can make himself look good and get people to think he's better than Sasuke-kun. I bet the only reason you're his friend is because he _says_ he's the Yondaime's son." Sakura refused to believe anything Ino said about Naruto. "He'll never be anything more than an idiot."

Sakura was walking out when Ino finally put her in her place, "You know what Sakura, you're the idiot. Naruto was right when he said you're weak. Since he's left, you've done nothing to try and better yourself through training. All you care about is Sasuke. Not even he's worth it anymore." She walked over and stared hard at Sakura, even poking her in the forehead. "Best thing for you to do Sakura is start thinking about changing your perception of Naruto. You never know when you're going to need something and Naruto will be the only person that can do it for you."

"Uh…yeah." Sakura said nothing else as she left the flower shop.

* * *

Elsewhere, Naruto had been working on learning the Mystic Palm Jutsu. He thought the Rasengan was tough at first, but this was on a whole new level. Luckily, he had found just the help he needed. Tsunade said he had access to any Jounin that could help, but there was someone who was better than a Jounin in his mind.

"You're doing great Naruto-kun. Just keep the chakra even and stable." Hinata looked on as he kept working on his chakra control. The past four days had been fairly exciting, considering the earlier run in he had. At least he was lucky that Hinata was able to help him train.

"Man, this is a lot harder than I thought." Naruto had a faint green aura around his hand as he tried to keep the healing chakra stable. "I never knew medical jutsu could be so complex. The Rasengan is nothing like this."

"That's not going to stop you, is it?" Hinata gave him another confidence boost.

"No way! Our nindo won't let me! I'll prove that I can do this." Ever since his little incident, Hinata had been a big support to him. It was actually comforting to know that he had a teammate who kept a positive attitude around him and shared encouragement. But he could still remember that day clearly…

(Flashback)

Naruto had just finished explaining to Hinata that he had a week to learn a jutsu. Since he didn't know a thing about medical jutsu, he thought Hinata might know something since he remembered the healing cream she made for him at the Chuunin Exams. The two were walking through the village discussing his training, when Neji had appeared to summon Hinata. There was apparently something her father needed to discuss with her, and Neji had explained that he wasn't too happy about it. Naruto could see her beginning to shrink back into her shell, and that was a cue that she needed something to boost her confidence.

"M-m-maybe you should h-h-head back home Naruto-kun. Otou-sama can be v-v-very serious if something is wrong." Hinata stood at the gates of her home, shaking over what may happen.

"And leave you like this? No way. Besides, you haven't done anything wrong. I mean unless you stayed out late or something like that." Naruto said as he casually walked in the gates. The guards looked at him like he had no sense, but Neji gave a quick nod, pulling them back. "So uh…which way do we go? This place is humongous!"

"Actually Naruto, _we_ need to be going this way. You need to be going home." Neji sternly accented. "Hinata-sama let us not keep Hiashi-sama waiting."

Hinata nodded nervously, "R-r-right." The two kept walking, but Naruto didn't leave. He stayed right beside Hinata the whole time. "Naruto-kun, w-what are you doing?"

"I told you. Whatever he's got to say to you, he can say it when you're not feeling so nervous." Naruto kept up pace as they kept walking in. "I mean what's he going to do, ground you or something?"

Neji simply listened as Naruto talked. He had his Byakugan active to watch Hinata's chakra. _"Hmm, her chakra is becoming more calm. Even though she believes she is in trouble, she's starting to feel more confident about facing Hiashi-sama. I believe this confrontation will be very enlightening."

* * *

_

The trio continued through the compound until reaching the dojo, where Hiashi was monitoring Hanabi's training session. He had only anticipated Hinata arriving, and not Naruto. Needless to say, things were about to change…especially for Naruto.

"I thought I only summoned my daughter. Why is he here?" Hiashi sent a cold glare at the trio, sending a shock through Hinata. Neji quickly bowed for forgiveness and Naruto just stood there.

"Forgive me Hiashi-sama, he insisted on accompanying Hinata-sama." Neji said in respect.

"Hanabi, take your leave. I need to speak with your sister. Neji, ensure we are not disturbed." Hanabi nodded and quickly left the dojo. Neji also stepped out and closed the door, leaving Naruto and Hinata with Hiashi. "Now explain yourself Hinata. Why have you associated yourself with this boy?"

"I…I…w-w-was going to h-h-h-help him train, Otou-sama." Hinata said nervously. She had never felt so scared in her entire life. She knew how cold her father could be, but for him to show this side around Naruto was too much for her.

"You? How can you help him train? You've been nothing but weak in the eyes of this family, yet you expect to actually help someone?" Hiashi barked out. His watchful eye easily caught Naruto's reaction.

"Hey now wait a minute! Where do you get off calling her weak!" Naruto snapped back. "Hinata-chan's like the strongest girl I know! Maybe if you didn't act like a stuck up bastard, you'd know just how good she is."

"Watch yourself boy. You do not know what kind of trouble you would be getting yourself into." Hiashi said, activating his Byakugan. "Now I advise you leave here before…"

"Before what? You yell at Hinata-chan for something stupid that isn't her fault!" Naruto yelled back. "Just what kind of father are you anyway? You're supposed to tell Hinata-chan how good she is at her skills and compliment her."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered.

"Seriously, you acting like that makes you just as bad as that teme Sasuke. He thinks he's so damn good because of his stupid name and talks down on people because of it!" Naruto continued. "And let me guess, you're going to say that just because Hinata-chan is supposed to be your clan heir, she can't be with her friends and teammates, and she should think she's superior to everyone else."

"You really wish to test me, don't you? Choose your next words carefully for they may be your last." Hiashi had released a wave of killing intent, making Hinata tremble even more, but Naruto stood fast. "As I said I will not have her associated with a no-name demon as yourself!"

Hearing those words really snapped Naruto, "Ok then, you want to play that route? We'll play that route. You think I'm a no-name demon? I will have you know I am the lone son of Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha! But guess what, I'm not a stuck up asshole like you and Sasuke! I'm still going to get up every morning, train as hard as I can, and prove to people that just because I'm supposed to be this village's grand hero, I'm still a regular shinobi day in and day out! I don't take the easy path because of who I am and I never will! I beat the hell out of Neji in the Chuunin Exams when everyone told me that I had no chance against a Hyuuga elite like him, but boy did I prove them wrong!"

Hinata began to feel Naruto's words boosting her own confidence. He wasn't about to back down from her father, and it was making her feel as if she shouldn't back down either. "Naruto-kun's r-r-right! He always g-g-gives it everything h-h-he has!"

Hiashi saw this and was amazed, _"Hmm, she's starting to lose her fear. Neji was correct; Naruto is instilling her with confidence just from his presence. Well, let's see what happens next." _Hiashi had long abandoned his cane and was emitting even more killing intent. "So you boast that you can beat a Hyuuga. Then we'll put that boast to the test!" Hiashi moved quickly to strike down Naruto, but didn't expect the sight he witnessed.

Hinata saw her father rush in and out of instinct, she moved in front of Naruto, hands out to shield him. Naruto looked confused as to why she did, but when he saw Hiashi's palm inches from her face… "I w-w-w-won't let you harm Naruto-kun!" She was feeding off every ounce of confidence she had to stand firm, but she was still trembling. "If y-y-you want to get t-t-to him, you have t-t-to go through m-m-me!"

"_Amazing. She truly is fond of this boy. I swear she is just as bad as her mother was in our academy days. Hiyori always did have that hidden crush on Minato and she stuttered just as badly! Things didn't go the same path back then Minato, but let's see how our kids do this time." _Hiashi drew his hand back and dispelled his Byakugan, "So my suspicions were correct."

Naruto was still confused, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Both of you in my study immediately. We shall continue this conversation there." Hiashi said, leading the way. He knew that Hinata knew the way and would lead Naruto there, but she needed time to catch her breath after such an ordeal.

"Hinata-chan, are you ok? Why did you do that?" Naruto asked as Hinata was on her knees catching her breath.

"You've been hurt enough N-N-Naruto-kun. I wouldn't feel right if my family h-h-hurt you." Hinata replied as she slowly got to her feet.

"Hinata-chan, thank you. But you don't have to stand up like that. You know I'll always be here when you need me. That's how I am for my precious people." Naruto said as he helped her to her feet. "Now we might as well find out what he wants. You know which way to go right?" She nodded and began to lead the way.

* * *

The duo reached Hiashi's office and saw that he was already at his desk. Not wanting to make things worse, they quickly sat down in front of his desk, awaiting what he had to say.

"Now then, let us get down to business." Hiashi said calmly. "Hinata, how long have you known about Naruto's heritage?"

Hinata was stunned. Was her father asking her something about Naruto? "Uh…it's b-b-been about three weeks Otou-sama."

"I see. Well I do have some words for both of you. But first," He rose and walked over to Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You truly are the splitting image of Minato, and just as rambunctious."

"Wait, you knew him?" This was freaking Naruto out even more. Just five minutes ago this Hyuuga was about to attack him and now he was talking about his father?

"Quite. Minato was quite the person during my days at the academy. He was also a great friend and ally. So yes Naruto, I do know of your father, and of the Kyuubi sealed inside you as well." Hiashi explained calmly. "And I do have to say, both of you passed my test."

"Test? You mean yelling at Hinata-chan was a test?" Naruto shot back. "What is the matter with you?"

"Naruto, I'll be straightforward with you and Hinata. There is a lot of deception in the ninja world. This not only is from the shinobi standpoint, but from a political one as well." Hiashi sat back at his desk with his chin on his hands. "You see, after Minato died, he did want you seen as a hero. The unfortunate side is that the village council saw to use you as a scapegoat for the losses the village took, clearly dishonoring your father's wishes."

"So what's that got to do with all of this?" asked Naruto.

"You see, there were plans of trying to break you emotionally as to try and turn you into a mindless weapon as you grew up." Hiashi explained. "Some believed that if you had no emotion, you could be controlled. Although they failed to realize just the type of person they would be trying to break. That also put a damper on the plans of many clans in this village as well." Hiashi began to slowly walk around his office. "You see, there were clans that were willing to take you in, as to allow you to grow up in a stable environment, the Hyuuga included." Those words caused Hinata to see her father completely differently. He had actually wanted to have Naruto grow up in her home…possibly with her as well! "But as I said, politics and deception kept great interference with this situation."

"So I coulda been here with Hinata-chan as a kid?" Naruto questioned the idea and Hinata just blushed.

"That could have been a possibility. But as I said, politics and deception tie in to more than you know." Hiashi moved to his desk and took a scroll out, giving it to Naruto. "You see, since your father and I were very good friends, we had made a humorous proposal. I'm sure at this time it would make Hinata quite happy, considering how fond she is of you."

"What do you…" Naruto opened the scroll as he and Hinata read over it. Sure enough Naruto had no clue what he was reading, but Hinata understood it clearly. "What's a betro…betrol…betroth…"

"Naruto-kun, that's a betrothal contract." Hinata said, face as red as ever. "We…we…we…"

"Betrothal contract? I don't get it?" Naruto still looked confused.

"Naruto that was written up before you were born. Minato knew he was going to have a son, and I had just found out that my first-born was a girl. So Minato and I figured…why not keep our friendship going strong by having his son marry my daughter." Hiashi said with a smile. "Naruto, if that was a real contract, you wouldn't be Hinata's friend…you would be her future husband."

It took a few seconds for that to process in Naruto's head, "I WHAT!!!!!"

Hiashi began laughing at Naruto's reactions. Naruto was quiet as he turned to look at a red faced Hinata. Even a slight hint of blush appeared on his own face as he quickly turned back. "Uh, I…well that is to say uh…"

"Naruto, no one is forcing you into anything. Although if you did go through with this, you'd probably fulfill Hinata's greatest dream. However, her path is her own to take." Hiashi replied as he took the scroll from Naruto. "But enough humor aside. Naruto, as you now know about Minato, you must be extremely cautious with who knows this information. Minato had many enemies, and you can easily be targeted just because of that."

"Why would I be a target? I mean wouldn't they give up since he's not here anymore?" asked Naruto.

"Revenge runs cold in people's veins even after the death of a shinobi. Minato easily showed that from the Third Great Ninja War." Hiashi replied with an air of seriousness. "I take it you've heard of his prowess in that war?" Naruto nodded negatively. "I see. Then let me ask you Naruto, did you know that Minato once took out an entire army of over 1000 shinobi alone?"

"You have to be kidding me! He was that good?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. His dad wasn't just a ninja; he was some sort of super ninja!

"Yes, he was that good. He was so feared that in the Bingo Book, there was a 'Flee on Sight' order issued for him. It was said that if you saw Minato Namikaze, it was the last thing you ever saw." Hiashi said. "You already know of the Rasengan jutsu, but that wasn't what made him feared."

"He had a jutsu stronger than the Rasengan?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. It was called Hiraishin, or the Flying Thunder God Jutsu." Hiashi said as sat back down. "That jutsu alone is what gave him the title of Yellow Flash. It was said that when he used the Hiraishin, the only thing that could be seen was a yellow flash of light. That was the last thing you saw before you were dead."

"Oh man, that would be insane to know that!" Naruto said in excitement.

"It would be, but I advise you not pursue that goal until you are much older. As I said, revenge runs cold even after all these years. The army that Minato took out was from Iwa, the Hidden Stone Village. To this day, they still hold bad blood against Konoha for disgracing them so badly." Hiashi told the two. "For them to know you are his son would be dire. If they knew of you, it could cause a possible war just to have you killed."

"W-w-war? But why, Otou-sama?" Hinata asked in a shaky tone.

"For one, Iwa would see it as a form to exact their greatest revenge. On another, Konoha would not let Naruto go without a fight for the simple fact of one thing." Hiashi said.

"The Kyuubi!" Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, knowing exactly what could happen.

"That's right. And in the chance that Iwa discovered you are a Jinchuuriki, they may be inclined to try and manipulate you into a weapon for them." Hiashi replied. "So for now Naruto, I advise you keep your family secret. However at anytime you wish to know more about them, you are free to speak with me at any time."

Naruto took the information to heart, knowing that the once thought cold leader of the Hyuuga clan was actually a nice guy so to speak. It even made him feel better that he had a powerful clan as a friend and ally. "Hey, thanks for the help. I guess I feel a little bit better. But can you do one thing though?" Hiashi looked in question at his request. "Can you lighten up on Hinata-chan? I mean she really tries her hardest to be a good ninja. If you just take the time, you'll see what I mean."

Hiashi just smiled at his reaction, _"Naruto, you're still naïve, but soon you'll learn that deception is not just for the outside world. Deception runs in clans as well."_ He cleared his throat in seriousness, "I believe you are right Naruto. Many times I have underestimated Hinata, and have not seen her full potential. That will be something for my own improvement."

"Cool! So, uh, I guess I should get going back to my training. Can't stop now if I wanna beat Sasuke." Naruto said as he got to his feet. "Hinata-chan, you coming?"

"She'll be along shortly. I wish to speak with her in private." Hiashi said. Naruto nodded and left the room, where Neji helped show him out. "Now Hinata, I hope you were paying attention. Parts of what I explained to Naruto also apply to you."

"They d-d-do?" Hinata seemed unsure about what was going to happen after the conversation with Naruto.

(End Flashback)

"_That's right Naruto-kun! I know you won't give up and neither will I! I'll do whatever it takes to help you reach your dream."_ Hinata kept her eyes vigil as he continued his training. Even though she had no knowledge of medical ninjutsu, she would still do whatever she could to support him, even if it was just giving him positive reinforcement. However she did start thinking about furthering her shinobi career as a medic as well, as per Naruto's recommendation. He remembered the healing cream she made and said it was some of the best stuff ever. That made her feel as if she could do much more in her life.

* * *

The week passed as both boys met back up to show the results of their training. The other teams had been present to observe as well.

"I still don't see why Naruto thinks he's going to beat Sasuke-kun." Sakura smirked as the two boys were being prepped over their training demonstration. "He had some of the best medics at the hospital helping him. There's no way Sasuke-kun could lose."

"You really wanna get overconfident again, don't you? I bet Naruto's gonna show out more than you know." Ino replied back.

"Alright everyone, calm down. Now then, since Sasuke here thinks that he's the elite of the village, and that he can do anything even without his Sharingan, the goal was for him and Naruto to both learn a core jutsu for medics, the Mystic Palm Jutsu." Tsunade got everyone's attention. "This jutsu is a very difficult jutsu to learn as one must have acute chakra control to do so. So we'll now see the results of this test." She revealed a large table with a scroll. "The basic to first becoming a medic is the chakra control. A skilled medic can use the Mystic Palm as a form of resuscitation." She opened the scroll to reveal a large fish. "This fish has gone unconscious from lack of water. The boys will now attempt to revive the fish. Sasuke, you're up first."

"Hmph, time to show you just why I am an Uchiha elite." Sasuke moved into position and placed his hands on the fish. He began to channel the chakra needed and had a faint glow over the fish. He kept up the jutsu for nearly three minutes, only getting a slight twitch from the fish's tail. "See if you can beat that, loser!" He wiped the sweat from his forehead as Sakura was cheering for him.

"Alright here goes something." Naruto said before Tsunade stopped him.

"Just a second Naruto. I forgot one thing. Raise your shirt up real fast." Tsunade said. Naruto was unsure, but complied anyway. "I'm going to put a seal on you so you won't have access to the Kyuubi's chakra. This will stop any chance of someone saying you didn't do this on your own." She sent chakra into her fingers and applied them to his stomach. He flinched slightly, but it soon passed.

"Well then, time to prove you wrong Sasuke." Naruto took another step when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Hinata. She didn't say anything and just looked at him. However Naruto could see what she was saying in her eyes. It was the same thing he heard all during his training. He gave a nod and went to the fish. "Alright fish, time to wake up!" Naruto began to summon the chakra in his palm, creating the same green glow. He began to feel the strain of the chakra in his hands after about three minutes. There was still no movement, but Naruto wasn't going to quit. "I said wake up you damn fish!" Summoning all of his determination, he channeled more of his own chakra into his palms, increasing the glow. That's when the shocker happened.

"Holy cow!" Kiba said in shock as the fish actually shook violently and floundered around for a few seconds. "He did it! He actually did it!"

Everyone in the room was amazed. Naruto had done the unthinkable again, this time showing up Sasuke Uchiha! "No way. That's not possible at all? Sasuke wasn't supposed to lose." Sakura said in a stupor.

Sasuke was becoming furious. He was an elite! He didn't lose to people below him. "Alright idiot, how did you do it? Who did you get to train you?"

Naruto shot him a glance and a smile. "You really want to know?" Sasuke nodded. "I asked her." He pointed directly at Hinata. "And I gotta tell you, she's the best teacher in the world. She wouldn't let me quit at all."

"I have to say, that was very impressive Naruto. Even though you clearly don't have mastery over the jutsu, you have shown the greater progress over Sasuke. As such I will uphold my end of the bargain. You will now be receiving private tutoring from me until you perfect the jutsu. After that, I'll start showing you how to use your chakra for Super Strength." Tsunade said proudly. "And I believe I may have even found a future apprentice. You also did a good job working with him Hinata. There may be a promising career as a medic nin for you."

"Th-th-thank you Hokage-sama!" Hinata said respectfully.

"Way to go Naruto! That was amazing!" Ino gave a cheer of confidence. "Three cheers for Naruto!"

* * *

Everyone celebrated as Naruto proved he could overcome another obstacle. Everyone but two people. Sasuke had already left the group in anger over his loss to Naruto. Sakura quickly followed in the hopes of consoling him.

"Sasuke-kun, wait up!" Sakura ran quickly to catch up to him.

"What do you want, Sakura?" His voice was cold and full of anger.

"Don't let Naruto get to you. The only reason he won was probably because he had Tsunade-sama on his side or something. Everyone knows you're still the best ever." Sakura tried to comfort him, but Sasuke's attitude didn't change.

"Whatever. He can go off with his little white-eyed girlfriend and play the hero. If he really thinks he's that good, then I'll give him something to prove." Sasuke slammed his fist into the wall, punching a large hole into it. "I swear I'll get him back for this." Sasuke took off running into the village, leaving Sakura alone.

She felt bad because he was hurt. His pride, strength, and popularity had all been knocked down by Naruto. She felt angry because he was the reason for Sasuke feeling like this, but…

"**Looks like Naruto does it again, huh?"** Inner Sakura said. **"Told you he was more than just an idiot."**

"Just shut up ok! It's all his fault Sasuke-kun's like this!" Sakura snapped back in defense.

"**Oh really? So it was Naruto's fault that he worked really hard and didn't go for the obvious help? I'd say that Sasuke really isn't all he's cracked up to be." **Inner Sakura said. **"In fact, I think you're actually jealous of Naruto now, just because he's becoming more popular than Sasuke. Maybe you really could learn something from him."**

Sakura was becoming more furious. "I would never need to rely on Naruto for anything! Not now, not ever! Now shut up and leave me alone!"

Inner Sakura took the hint and began to head back to Sakura's subconscious. However she knew she was right, **"You know, Ino's right. You really do need to change your view of Naruto. Because when you do go running to him for help and he shoots you down…that's going to be all your fault and no one else to blame. Hope it makes you happy Sakura."

* * *

So Naruto gets an insight to deception in the ninja world, and shows up Sasuke. How's the Uchiha going to take this loss?**


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto: Hey why are Sasuke and Sakura over there in the corner all emo and stuff?

Sakura_(silently crying)_: I'm not a mean girl! Honest! I'm really nice!

Sasuke_(grumbling)_: Why does everyone like it when I'm emo and evil?

Neokenshin: They enjoyed being on the 'nice' side for a long time, so it's kinda new for them. They probably didn't notice it was a different script either.

Naruto: Oh well. Least I get some good action in this chapter. Kishi owns Naruto! Now go make him hurry up and get Hina-chan more manga time!

* * *

Chapter 4

A month had passed since Naruto's impressive showing against Sasuke. A big change was that the other genin began to see his true potential and understand more that a name doesn't prove who you are. He kept Hiashi's words to heart and didn't speak much about being Minato's son. To most people, everyone saw him as the same knucklehead ninja each and every day.

However to some, Naruto's hard work and perseverance didn't bring any impressions. Sasuke had been fuming in the past month, trying to find a way to get back at Naruto. Not only did the blonde embarrass him in front of the Hokage, but also he did it credibly. Even after having some of the hospital's best medical ninja helping him, he still couldn't best Naruto. And as they say…revenge runs deep in the blood of a shinobi.

"Sasuke, this isn't what we practiced." Kakashi watched as Sasuke was on the ground breathing hard. "You're putting too much power into the Chidori and it's wearing you out."

"I don't care. It has to be more powerful." Sasuke slowly rose to his feet, weary from chakra loss. "I'll make it so that they all know who the strongest is here."

Kakashi sighed. Ever since Sasuke lost to Naruto, the Uchiha had been in constant training with the intent of challenging Naruto again. "I am an Uchiha Elite and I will not be shown disrespect in this village!" He was about to create another Chidori when Kakashi grabbed his arm.

"Elite or not, you are low on chakra. You need rest Sasuke and I am ordering you to take it." Kakashi tightened his grip slightly, causing Sasuke to flinch. "Go home and get some rest. We'll continue training tomorrow."

Sasuke jerked his hand back and left without saying a word. He sighed at the fact that Sasuke's focus was only on beating Naruto, and not becoming a better shinobi. It left him wondering if he truly failed when he shifted his training focus away from Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei?" The copy ninja turned to see Sakura with another set of closed scrolls. "I've looked over these taijutsu scrolls, and I'm having a hard time understanding some of the katas. Can you help me with them?"

"We'll have to do it another time Sakura. Training is done for today." Kakashi quickly vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the pink haired teen alone.

Sakura hadn't had much luck as well. Over the past month, she continued to drift in and out of confusion over events. Ever since Naruto left, her training had taken a sharp dive. She had been reduced to reading scrolls of taijutsu and genjutsu forms while Kakashi focused only on Sasuke. Whenever she had a question, she would get the same response all the time, 'It's not that hard Sakura. Just read it carefully and you'll get it. You're a bright girl so I know you can do it.' It started to make her think that Naruto wasn't the problem of the team, though her teenage pride wouldn't let her do that.

* * *

As for Naruto, he was actually feeling better about a lot of things. Since he was still a free genin and didn't have a team, he just continued rotating from team to team, gaining more knowledge along the way. One of the best things he learned was how to make a quick poison antidote from Ino and her mother. After spending time at the flower shop, Ino had come to respect Naruto for more than what he used to be. She enjoyed talking about gardening tips and even got to see the flowers he maintained on his own. Her father Inoichi even saw his work and asked if he'd like a part time job to help around the flower shop. Naruto was surprised to think that he'd have an offer like that, but he had to decline. Since he was also getting tutoring with Tsunade, he had to keep his schedule flexible. Inoichi respected this and told Naruto that he was welcome at the shop at any time. Ino herself enjoyed this because she really began to understand just how hard Naruto had it in life. She made a bigger effort to be a better friend and teammate to him as well.

Most of Naruto's time was spent at Hinata's. He took up Hiashi's offer to learn more about his parents, Minato and Kushina. It surprised him when he learned that Minato wasn't really a prankster, but it was Kushina who loved pranking. Hiashi even told Naruto of a time when Kushina snuck red dye into Minato's shampoo, only to have him with bright orange hair for a few days. Although one wouldn't really think it much, but to Naruto, it really felt as if he was spending time with a real father figure. Hiashi had a lot of good wisdom and felt that Naruto should know things if he were to make his dream of Hokage come true. Since then, he had requested that Naruto join Hinata during her political studies. After reinforcing that politics and deception were a large part of being in a leadership role, Naruto figured it would help him. Although even after a month, he still had no clue about how the more complicated things worked out.

Training was another thing. Naruto had become very busy over the month, with learning more about gardening, his ninja training, and Tsunade's tutoring. He finally finished the Mystic Palm Jutsu only after Tsunade told him about Shadow Clone training. When she explained it, Naruto finally realized why she prevented him from using the clones in the beginning. He did say it was a really good way to train, but he still liked the old fashioned way of doing it on his own. Now Hinata's training was much different. After Tsunade learned that she was the one helping Naruto, and after learning about her medicinal salves and creams, Tsunade immediately started Hinata on medical training. The girl had a good level of self-taught knowledge, but if properly refined and educated, Hinata could become a very powerful medic. It didn't take long but within two weeks, Hinata had already completed the Mystic Palm as well, and was working on anatomical studies. She didn't shun her Juuken training as well. While Naruto would be with other teams, or with Hiashi, she was secretly working on her own jutsu.

"Are you sure y-y-you want me to do this Naruto-kun?" she asked calmly.

"Heck yeah! The best way to work on a jutsu is to use it in an actual spar. Since you said your jutsu was really strong, Neji or your dad might get hurt, and I heal a lot faster than they do." Naruto was right. He would heal faster due to the Kyuubi, so he was actually a better test partner.

"For once I do agree Hinata-sama. Naruto did withstand the Hakke Rokujyuu Yonshou in our match at the Chuunin Exams." Neji reminded her. "He should be ok."

"Well, I g-g-guess so." Hinata was still a little nervous, but that didn't last long.

"You're gonna do just fine! Remember our nindo?" Naruto said, causing her outlook to change. "That's right, never give up and give it everything you got!"

Hinata felt more confident at his words. "Ok Naruto-kun. Here we go."

Neji moved back by Hiashi, who was observing as well. "Neji, have you learned of what her new jutsu is?" asked the clan leader.

"I do not Hiashi-sama. Wherever she has been training has been out of the view of anyone. This will be my first time seeing it as well." Neji replied. "However, I believe she may impress us today from her tone of voice."

"I believe you may be right."

Hinata activated her Byakugan and began to calm and focus herself. _"Ok, Naruto-kun believes in me. He's never let me break our nindo and he's not about to now. I'll show him, Neji-kun, and Otou-sama that I am strong."_ She shifted her gaze to Naruto as she moved into a stance, one that neither Neji nor Hiashi had ever seen before. Unlike the base stance of Juuken taijutsu, Hinata stood straight, her left hand at her side and her right hand in front of her face. Naruto was in anticipation as to what she was about to do. "JUUKEN: SHUGO HAKKE ROKUJUU YONSHOU! (Gentle Fist Art: 8 Trigrams 64 Palms Guard)" Hinata began her assault with two swift palm strikes that slashed across Naruto. The chakra was visible from her hands, so it looked as if Naruto had been slashed with chakra blades. She finished with a third strike that propelled Naruto airborne. _"Now to finish!"_ Hinata leaped up just above Naruto and began her true assault. She moved her hands in blazing speed, creating the effect of her drawing a chakra mesh in front of her. The chakra shot through Naruto, strike by strike as Hinata began to rotate her body, causing the chakra mesh to expand in a dome. To Neji and Hiashi, it looked as if a large sphere of chakra was assaulting Naruto, sending hundreds of pulses of chakra through him. Hinata finished by drawing her chakra into her two palms, slamming it into Naruto and slamming him into the ground at the same time. "I…did it!" She felt proud of herself that she was able to successfully perform her new jutsu as well as she did. However…

"Hinata-sama, you are correct. You did do it." Neji said with a hint of humor. Even Hiashi let out a slight chuckle at the sight.

"I…" She looked down and soon realized…she was on top of Naruto. Her face went red with blush as she quickly leaped off him and looked down, hoping he was ok. "N-N-Naruto-kun?"

"Ugh…when did that raging bull hit me?" Naruto was in a complete daze after Hinata's jutsu.

"Naruto, that raging bull as you call it was Hinata-sama." Neji said as he helped up Naruto. The blonde was still busy shaking the cobwebs out of his head.

"N-N-Naruto-kun are you ok?" Hinata was already over near him, ready to heal any injury. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

Naruto finally cleared his head when he saw what was going on. He saw the worry on Hinata's face, but that was soon going to change. "Hinata-chan, are you kidding? That was awesome! I mean it kinda got hazy there after a bit, but the way you moved your hands and how you did this and that…oh man! That was just too cool!" He had pulled her close and was hugging her. "Oh man, where did you learn something like that?"

"I…I…uh…." And within seconds Hinata had once again fainted in the arms of her crush.

Naruto saw her go limp and saw how red she was in the face. "Hey Hinata-chan? You aren't having another fever again, are you? Hey Hinata-chan?"

Neji and Hiashi both sighed. Here they saw Naruto Uzumaki holding the girl that absolutely adores him, and even after she confessed to him, he still doesn't get it. "Naruto, you're hopeless." Neji said as he got Hinata out of his arms to give her some air.

About three minutes later…

"Hey you're awake. Thought you got sick or something there for a bit." Naruto could see the red had left her face and she looked back to normal.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata awoke to see Naruto staring at her. "Naruto-kun, are you ok?" She remembered that she had just used her jutsu on him and thought he was still hurt.

"Naa, I shook that off like it was nothing." Naruto replied. "But it looked like it wore you out."

"No, I'm ok." Hinata said as she rose to her feet. "So I did ok?"

"Hinata, I'm very impressed. I noticed you combined the attacking principles of the Hakke Rokujyuu Yonshou with the defensive style of the Kaiten." Hiashi commented. "Tell me, how did you create such an ability?"

"W-well I tried doing the Kaiten like Neji does, but I couldn't release the chakra like he can. I also tried using the Hakke Rokujyuu Yonshou, but I'm not fast enough and can't do the last 64 strikes. So I came up with the idea of making my chakra sharper and more precise." Hinata explained. "It's supposed to be a stronger defense than the Kaiten."

"It actually it. And I believe that it cannot be reproduced by anyone else due to your own natural flexibility Hinata. You have done well. Excellent work." Hiashi said to his daughter, causing her to smile from the compliment.

"Th-thank you Otou-sama!" She bowed quickly in respect.

* * *

As for Sasuke, his day wasn't going as planned. After another failure of a training day in his eyes, he returned home, only to take his anger out on the walls of his family's dojo.

"Who does Kakashi think he is? Telling me what I need to do!" Sasuke had run another Chidori into the wall. "I'll show him who's the elite!" He kept up his anger release, but didn't know he was being observed. However the ones observing him would quickly make their presence known.

"So this is the mighty Sasuke Uchiha?" Sasuke turned to see four shinobi before him. One was a large boy with a Mohawk, one had six arms, a third looked as if he had a second head, and the fourth was a girl with red hair. "Doesn't seem like much to work with."

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Sasuke demanded, hoping to get answers. Before he could ask anything else, the one with two heads had him in a choke hold.

"Listen Uchiha, we have a proposition for you from our leader. He thinks you have real potential and can give you power beyond your wildest dreams." Said the boy. "If you really want to get stronger, you'll come with us and take his offer."

"Like I said before…" Sasuke struggled to free himself. He even began to activate the first level of his cursed seal. "I don't need anyone that will hold me back!"

"Hold you back, you say? Boy you know nothing of the power you possess currently." Sasuke saw that each of them began to summon a similar pattern of seals. "This is only the first stage of the seal. Our leader can give you the ability to surpass this, giving you more power than ever." He threw Sasuke to the ground and turned his back to him. "If you want real power, you'll meet us outside the village tonight. We look forward to meeting you Sasuke Uchiha." Before Sasuke could blink, they vanished without a trace.

"So…more power? Maybe it will be the power I need to not only kill Itachi, but to get rid of Naruto! He thinks he can make a fool out of me?" Sasuke growled as his seal began to run rampant. "I'll show you what a real elite is like Naruto. Mark my word!"

Later that evening, Hinata was walking back from Naruto's apartment. He had left earlier after their sparring during the day and she had made him some rice balls to thank him for earlier. On her way home she had seen Sakura pleading to Sasuke. From the tone of her voice, she was in tears over something. Even though Hinata wasn't fond of the pink haired girl, she was a teammate.

"Sakura, is everything ok?" Hinata ran over to see what was wrong. Sasuke stood motionlessly as Sakura ran to Hinata in tears.

"Hinata, you have to help me. Sasuke's planning to leave the village. We have to stop him!" Sakura cried out.

"But why?" asked Hinata.

"As I told Sakura, this village is holding me back. There is nothing for me here. I need to go where I will get stronger and obtain true power." Sasuke said in a dark tone.

"Sasuke-kun, if it's about Naruto, let it go! You've always been better than him! You don't need to leave Sasuke-kun!" Sakura pleaded once more, but it was to no avail.

"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice dripped of venom at that name. Before the girls could blink, Sasuke was standing right behind Sakura. "Sakura, I know I haven't said this to you ever, but this time…thank you. I now have my true purpose. So I thank you." And in one swift strike, he hit Sakura in the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.

"Sasuke, why did you do that?" Hinata was immediately at Sakura's side, checking for injury. "Naruto-kun would never do that."

Sasuke turned his gaze at Hinata, looking at her with an icy stare. "Speaking of Naruto, you can do something for me. Namely give him a message for me."

"W-w-what message?" Hinata could feel a radiating killing intent coming from Sasuke. She knew something bad was going to happen. _"Naruto-kun, I wish you were here right now!"

* * *

_

The next morning, news had gotten out that Sasuke left the village. Based on his attitude and with knowledge of the seal placed on him, Tsunade had the idea that he was headed to Orochimaru. She knew if Orochimaru got hold of Sasuke, things could get very bad.

"So you understand your mission? Shikamaru, you and Naruto will get whoever you can to join you. Bring back Sasuke Uchiha at all costs!" Tsunade ordered.

"Very well. Naruto, I'll go see who I can round up. Get geared and meet at the gates in 30 minutes." Shikamaru said.

"Not a problem. We'll bring that idiot back." Naruto gave a smile of confidence as Shikamaru left. Before Naruto could leave, Hiashi barged through the doors of Tsunade's office.

"Hiashi, what's the meaning of this?" Tsunade demanded. "What gives you the right to barge in here?"

"Hokage-sama, I have a mission request. This mission is of utmost importance. I request a shinobi for an S-rank mission immediately!" Hiashi was fuming in anger. Apparently something had really pushed him over the edge.

"I'm sorry Hiashi, but right now we don't have the shinobi available for such a mission." Tsunade replied.

"Yes you do. I request Naruto Uzumaki take this mission." Hiashi replied.

"Naruto is assigned to a mission to recover Sasuke Uchiha. He cannot be spared." Tsunade said. Hiashi said otherwise.

"Hokage-sama, I believe you can assign this mission to him after I tell you what happened." Hiashi said. "I have very critical news."

(Konoha gates, 30 minutes later)

"Alright, everyone know the game plan?" Shikamaru assembled Neji, Kiba, and Chouji to go with him and Naruto. "Just know we're going out there to bring back one of our own. We aren't going to fail this, got it?"

"You got it." Naruto cracked his knuckles in preparation. Just as the group was about to leave, Sakura met the group. "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"You're going after Sasuke-kun, right?" Sakura asked in tears. "Naruto, please bring him back. You're the only one that can do it."

"Oh, I'll bring him back." Naruto said. Sakura noticed that his voice wasn't excited.

"Naruto, thank you. I know you'll bring him home safely." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, but her mood would change, as she was about to get one of the worst shocks of her life.

"Bring him home safely?" Naruto growled. He turned and stared at Sakura, however it was not with the normal blue eyes he always had. "He'll be lucky if I bring him home alive!"

"Naruto, what are you talking about? Why would you hurt Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was becoming worried. Would Naruto really be willing to hurt Sasuke?

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about Sakura." Naruto took out a scroll and threw it at the pink haired girl. "Our mission is to bring Sasuke back alright, but I have a different mission."

Sakura opened the scroll and went speechless. "This…this is a lie. You…no…."

"That's an official mission request from Hiashi Hyuuga himself." Naruto said. Neji perked up because he knew something was up. "Apparently last night…your little boyfriend had a message for me. Well I'm about to go answer him."

"Naruto, please! Don't do this. You…you can't do this to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura wailed as Naruto took the scroll back.

"Naruto, what is going on?" asked Neji. "What would Hiashi-sama request of you?"

"It seems that last night before Sasuke left, he left me a message in the form of brutally injuring Hinata-chan. She's in the hospital right now from kunai wounds, a broken leg, and a Chidori in the arm. All because she tried to help pinkie over there stop the traitor." Naruto roared in anger. "So my mission as requested by Hiashi Hyuuga and the Hyuuga Clan…bring back the traitor Sasuke Uchiha…Dead or Alive!" Naruto sent a powerful glare at Sakura one last time. "Sakura, I hope you put a lot of meaning in to what you said to Sasuke last night. Because that may very well be the last thing you ever said to that worthless ass!"

"Uchiha…injured Hinata-sama?" Neji's Byakugan activated as anger began flowing through him.

"That worthless asshole is gonna pay for this!" Kiba was already enraged at the news. "I'm going to break his neck!"

"No Kiba, this is completely different now." Shikamaru said, rethinking the plan. "Sasuke went overboard with this and now he's gonna pay for it. Hinata may be your teammate Kiba, but she's on a completely different level with Naruto. Our mission…we get Naruto to Sasuke so he can end this!"

"Naruto, please don't do this!" Sakura pleaded one last time, but her words were on deaf ears. She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, but he didn't just knock it away this time. He actually slammed his fist into Sakura's stomach, bringing her to her knees.

"Sakura, you still don't get it. You have the nerve to ask me to bring home a traitor safely? Remember what I told you that day when you tried to attack me and Hinata-chan stopped you? I said if anyone precious to me gets hurt and you're the cause of it…then nothing would save you from the wrath of the Yondaime's son?" Naruto said in a dark tone. "Hinata tried helping you to stop Sasuke and you failed to do so. So I'll bring him home alright. I'll bring him home with his head in my left hand, and his useless carcass in my right hand!"

"Naruto, NO!!!" Sakura's words went unheard as the five took off into the forest with one goal…bring back Sasuke Uchiha dead or alive!

* * *

**Looks like Sakura finally gets a rude awakening for her actions. Now how will the battle between Naruto and Sasuke fare this time? Naruto's not out to bring a friend back...he's out to stop a traitor once and for all.**

**As for Hinata, I did a little something different with her. Most people have her use the Shugo Hakke jutsu as a defense style jutsu while she's standing on the ground. I changed it up this time. I actually decided to have her perform the version she does from Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm. The main reason...her reaction after using it on Naruto. For anyone that's played the game, you know her reaction. If not, look it up on Youtube. It's a great few seconds for any NaruHina fan. Till next time guys!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Kasumi: Hey guys, what's with all the paper around here?

Naruto: It's all the reviews! Have you seen this story? Not even four chapters in and there's over 100 alerts, 100 favorites, 11 C2 adds, 7500 hits, and nearly 80 reviews! Yeesh!

Kasumi: Ok...that works, I guess. So can someone explain the deal with Sasuke and Sakura?

Naruto: Apparently, they feel bad because they're getting bashed pretty hard...and people like it. Tried to tell them it's a completely different cast, but it didn't sink in.

Kasumi: Oh brother. Well, Neokenshin's out for the night so I'm in charge of the opening. As everyone knows, Kishimoto owns Naruto. Enjoy the fight scene everyone!

* * *

Chapter 5

Naruto looked across the river at his once teammate, now traitor Sasuke Uchiha. At one time, they worked together on missions for Konoha, strived to be better shinobi each day. And now the two had come to a new crossroad. Naruto had learned of his parents Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and of how he was the son of the legendary Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. Naruto had grown in the past weeks, taking his training further to new horizons with the introduction of medical ninjutsu. He had even become better friends with the other members of the Rookie Nine, and has received an undeniable confession from Konoha's Princess herself, Hinata Hyuuga.

Sasuke was on the falling end of that wave, after failing to surpass Naruto's hard work and determination. He began to feel as if the village could no longer provide him with the power he needed to kill his brother Itachi and avenge his clan. He now looked for a different direction, that in the path of the Snake Sannin Orochimaru. Orochimaru told Sasuke to seek him, and he would grant him the power he desires. With no other recourse, Sasuke felt that it was time for a new change. And he knew it would start with revenge against a new target.

"I see you've received my message well, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was cold and dark as he stood on the waters of the river. The gazes of the Shodaime and Madara Uchiha were the only observers to one of the greatest battles about to begin. "It's a shame that the couldn't tell you those words in person."

"What gives you the right Sasuke?" Naruto growled with conviction. "Hinata-chan is a fellow teammate and friend. What gives you the right to brutally attack her like you did?"

"It's simple you moron. If someone surpasses you in something, what better way to begin a revenge by attacking their teacher." Sasuke laughed psychotically. "You said it yourself that day, she's the best teacher in the world." Sasuke's crazed gaze was cast upon Naruto. "So what better way to send a message than by making her pay. She was part of the cause for this, and now that you're here, I can destroy the rest of the cause."

"Is that what you think this is Sasuke? You think it's all about you?"

"It's always been about me Naruto!" Sasuke screamed back. "I am an Uchiha Elite! I am the last of my clan! Konoha should be waiting on me hand and foot!"

"No one gives a damn if you're an Uchiha or what! I'm the son of the Yondaime and you didn't see me flaunting that in people's faces, did you?" Naruto responded. "How would your life have been if people knew about me, huh? You would have been second rank to me! I got to where I was because I worked my ass off Sasuke! I had no freebies, no special shortcuts." Naruto's eyes went red in fury. "You didn't have to deal with people telling you that you're worthless. You were the best one in our class!"

"That's right, I was. And I still am compared to you Naruto. All those losers have nothing compared to me!" Sasuke began laughing. "So just bow to me like the pathetic demon dog you are and realize who is your superior!"

Naruto clenched his fist as anger began to boil through him. He could tolerate being called worthless, but no one else deserved it. Every other one of the rookies had their strengths and abilities, and each did their best to excel at it. Even the images of his other four friends were ringing clearly in his mind…"Chouji…"

* * *

(Flashback)

"Leave this to me. You need to get to Sasuke now." Chouji stood fast as he stared down Jirobo.

"Chouji, just remember, you better catch up." Shikamaru had confidence in his best friend, but Naruto had more words.

"Chouji…we may not be teammates, but you know what's at stake here. Shikamaru's not the only one that believes in you, got it?" Chouji saw the burning determination in Naruto's eyes. "After working with you, I learned you're like one of the most powerful guys I know. So pound that fatass into the ground. And if he calls you one…"

Chouji knew what Naruto was doing. After training with him, Naruto began to understand more about the Akimichi, and that their size is their strength. After learning of Naruto's own trials as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, the two had a stronger bond of friendship than before. "He even thinks that and I'll rip his head clean off!"

"Then Chouji…" Naruto looked back as he was getting ready to leave, "We're gonna celebrate with barbecue tonight. See ya when you're done here."

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Neji…"

(Flashback)

"I will handle things here. You continue the mission." The team had just broken free of Kidomaru's web and Neji was now taking point.

"Watch this guy Neji, he may be more tricky than the last one." Kiba said as the team was preparing to depart.

"You need not worry. I will not underestimate him. However…" Neji turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I hope you understand the seriousness of your mission."

Naruto knew that Neji was referencing Hinata, "Yeah. I know."

"She would be very heartbroken if you were not to return. Although I hold her strong belief that you will uphold your nindo. Besides, you are the only one Hiashi-sama and I trust her with." Neji said calmly. "Go quickly. You need to finish and return to Hinata-sama's side."

"Neji, I'm not the only one she respects. She holds you in high respect as well. She admires your skill and ability just as much as my determination." Naruto replied. "And I'm still planning to change the Hyuuga clan when I become Hokage. I expect you to be at my side when it happens."

Neji knew that if Naruto made a promise like that, he would fight the darkest demons of hell just to make it happen. "Yes, I shall definitely be there for that day Naruto."

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Kiba…"

(Flashback)

Sakon intercepted the remaining three in the race to Sasuke. Kiba stepped up and took this one into his own hands.

"Naruto, just so you know, after seeing the things you've done, you've proven how loyal you are to Konoha. Go out there and rip Sasuke to pieces for what he did to Hinata." Kiba growled.

"Thanks Kiba. I won't let you down."

(End Flashback)

* * *

"And Shikamaru, Lee and Gaara…"

(Flashback)

"So, this girl you speak of. She is a precious person to you Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara asked as they stared down Kimimaro.

"She's one of my most precious people Gaara. That's why I have to stop Sasuke." Naruto growled. "I'll never forgive him for what he did."

"You need not worry about combat here. Your place is with Uchiha. Finish things with him Naruto." Gaara replied. "I await your return."

"Thanks Gaara. Sasuke, I hope you're ready!" Naruto took off full speed towards the final location.

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Every single one of them is was willing to fight to the bitter end with everything they had to get me here." Naruto said. "Not only to prevent Orochimaru from getting his hands on you, but to finally bring you down Uchiha!"

Sasuke brushed off Naruto's words as if they meant nothing, "And you think you'll be that person?"

"I don't think Sasuke." Red swirls of chakra began to spiral around Naruto. His whisker marks became more defined and he released a large amount of killing intent. "I have no reason to hold back with you. It wouldn't have bothered me if you just knocked out Sakura and left, but you made the biggest mistake of your life when you hurt Hinata-chan."

"Then come demon, show me how you intend to beat an Elite." Sasuke provoked. However he didn't think Naruto was true about not holding back.

"With pleasure! TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto summoned nearly 500 clones, surrounding the entire area. "Time to pay for your crimes Uchiha!"

* * *

Tsunade herself wasn't having anything good come out of this situation. She knew that word was going to get out that Sasuke defected, and it would cause gossip to run rampant. What's worse is that no one would believe he left on his accord. They would blame it on the curse seal Orochimaru put on him and say it was controlling his mind, or even worse, they would blame Naruto. She couldn't understand why a village her grandfather and great uncle worked so hard to build would be so close-minded.

It made things worse when Hiashi demanded an S-rank mission to bring Sasuke back dead or alive. The sheer repercussions of Sasuke attacking Hinata were bound to cause more chaos in the council than she wanted to deal with. Hiashi would be demanding Sasuke dead if Naruto brought him back alive, and the council would say it wasn't Sasuke's fault because of the seal. Honestly, she wished Minato were still alive. She knew that if he were around to see all of this, he'd set the council in place. The only thing she could do right now is wait.

"Tsunade-sama, I have the information you requested." Shizune entered with a folder. "We've done a full examination like you requested."

Tsunade took the folder and began to read, "Hmm, well it seems Hinata's physical wounds aren't that serious like we thought. The only thing is she won't be able to use her arm for about a month because of that Chidori." She sighed over the report. Hinata didn't deserve to be the target of Sasuke's anger because the Uchiha didn't know the meaning of hard work. It also meant it would set back the training she had planned for Hinata as well. "Shizune, were there any other problems or complications?"

"Uh…there was a big one." Shizune said nervously. "We did an optical exam to see if her Byakugan may have been damaged. Her vision is seriously impaired and she has heavy difficulty seeing with her Byakugan. It's possible that due to the close proximity of the Chidori wound, the lightning overloaded her eyes. We can try corrective surgery, but it may cause a permanent effect on her."

"Damn! This is just what I need right now." Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk in anger. "From what Hiashi told me, those stubborn ass Hyuuga Elders are constantly out looking for something to use against Hinata because of her gentle nature. Get him here immediately."

"Of course Tsunade-sama." Shizune said as she ran out quickly. Though Tsunade's meetings were just starting. As Shizune was leaving, Sakura arrived.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? You were ordered to return home to rest." Tsunade said.

"Is it true Hokage-sama? About Naruto and Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice quivered. "Did you really send Naruto to kill Sasuke-kun?"

"That's classified information Sakura. You need not worry about that." Tsunade replied calmly.

"But why! Sasuke-kun didn't do anything wrong! It was that seal…Orochimaru must have been controlling him somehow." She was becoming frantic as the thoughts of Sasuke being killed ran in her head. She didn't even notice Tsunade get up and walk towards her. "Yeah, that has to be it. It's Orochimaru's…"

Sakura never finished her sentence as Tsunade hit her with a devastating backhand slap. "You ignorant little whelp! Open your eyes!" She saw Sakura shaking as the pink haired girl held her injured face. "Sasuke Uchiha brutally attacked and hospitalized a Konoha shinobi simply because of his anger against Naruto. He then left the village of his own accord. The moment he did that, Sasuke was officially considered a traitor to the village." She walked over and grabbed Sakura by her collar. "It's time you grow up Sakura. Sasuke isn't the glorified superstar you believe he is. He is a wanted criminal and traitor to Konoha. If Naruto brings him back alive, then Sasuke will be lucky if he doesn't get sentenced to execution."

Sakura felt worse than she ever had. It felt to her as if Sasuke was no longer considered the gifted ninja he was. He was no longer the popular rookie of the year, the cool Uchiha. He was a traitor and he needed to pay for his crimes. The only thing she could do was cry, not wanting to accept the truth. Tsunade dropped her to the ground and went back to her desk.

"It's best you start thinking about your own shinobi career Sakura. You have too much potential to let it go to waste by thinking about a traitor all the time." Tsunade turned her attention back to the medical report she received on Hinata and how she was going to possibly help the girl.

Sakura said nothing as she left Tsunade's office. Her mind was a wreck over all the news. Even the one person she thought would be on her side had turned against her.

"**Can it get any better! Oh how the mighty have fallen. Seems your precious little Sasuke-kun isn't all he's cracked up to be."**Inner Sakura was having a field day. **"I told you everyone else was right, especially Ino!"**

"Just leave me alone." Sakura felt like a shattered pane of glass.

"**Why should I? You're the one that can't face the truth. Ino told you that you needed to change the way you are around Naruto and what did you get? Oh wait, that memory is still here. Why don't I replay it a few thousand times." **Inner Sakura continued her taunting. **"Let's see, I like that part just before he left. Didn't he say something about bringing Sasuke's head back…"**

"Stop it! Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!" Sakura screamed in pain. "None of this is real! It's all fake, I'm not seeing any of this."

"**Wake up pinky, this is reality! Your precious Sasuke is a worthless traitor and Naruto is going to kill him!" **Inner Sakura cackled as she continued to break Sakura even more. **"You know, I wonder if he'll use that Rasengan of his. Oh that would be a wonderful way to finish off Sasuke."**

Sakura grabbed her head in pain as tears were streaming down her face, "Why are you doing this to me?"

**"You really want to know why? Because you need to see the truth Sakura. This is the real world. Your little fantasy world that existed with you and your precious Sasuke is just an illusion. You're throwing your life away all because of a stupid obsession with a traitor." **Inner Sakura said to her outer counterpart. **"Ever since Ino broke away from her obsession, she's grown in bounds and what about you? You're going to either be killed or left in the dust because of your weakness."**

"But what do I do? Please tell me?" Sakura cried. "Please, just tell me."

**"I can't tell you what you need to do. That's up to you Sakura. But you'd better decide soon. Are you going to stay in the forgotten shadow of a traitor, or are you going to come into the light and let people see just what you can do?"**

"I…I…I don't know." For the first time in her life, Sakura felt she had hit rock bottom. Even though she was only 12 years old, she had never experienced a pain like now. All she could do was wait and see if Naruto truly upheld his word. "Please Naruto…don't kill Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke had enough on his plate. His first mistake…he underestimated Naruto completely. The rumors, words, and comments that Naruto was a dead last…they had all been shoved down his throat in seconds after Naruto made the first move.

"How the hell did he get this fast?" Sasuke was doing all he could to dodge Naruto's strikes, but even he was having a hard time. His Sharingan could barely keep up with the blonde as he barely evaded another kick.

"Stay still and let me kick that head off your neck!" Naruto launched another kick at Sasuke, but only grazed him. Sasuke used the split second to take off, running up the statue of Madara Uchiha to regroup. He got to the top of the statue and looked down in the valley, trying to plan his next move.

"Damn dobe, he's making this annoying." Sasuke took a split second to catch his breath, but it wasn't enough. Naruto was going to stay on him like seaweed on a rice ball! He sensed the presence of Naruto behind him, wondering how he ran up the statue just as fast.

"Who said you could leave the party!" Naruto's fist glowed bright red with chakra. "I wanted to show you something. It's what Baa-chan has been helping me with. It's not perfect, but if it gets the job done then that's all that matters!"

"Naruto what…" Sasuke had seconds to move as Naruto swung his fist down. He barely moved out of the way as Naruto's fist connected onto the statue. Due to the amount of Kyuubi's chakra he was channeling, the strike caused the entire upper body of the statue to detonate into rubble. Sasuke knew if he got hit with a strike like that, it was fatal. "What is she teaching that dobe?"

Naruto shifted his gaze back to Sasuke, wincing from his arm being in pain. "Damn, it's still nowhere near being perfect." He felt his arm slowly go numb from a chakra backlash that shut off the receptors in his arm. Sasuke saw this and used it as a chance to make a move.

"Not so tough are you now!" Sasuke used this chance to rush in, Chidori in hand. "You fail yet again, Son of Yondaime!" Naruto barely moved as Sasuke thrust his arm full speed, aiming directly at Naruto's chest. "You will bow to Uchiha like the rest of this pathetic world!"

Naruto turned as much as he could, but couldn't avoid the strike of Sasuke's Chidori piercing his chest and going through his right lung. He felt the lightning coarse through his body, making it go numb. "Sasuke…"

"That's right Naruto." Naruto looked up and saw the Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes. He noticed there were now three tomoe, showing that the eye had evolved completely. "Look upon the face of your executioner. Those were the same eyes that weak Hyuuga had when I pierced her arm."

"You…sorry…bastard." Naruto was struggling to breathe. He was using what chakra he had to try and heal his wound. "I'll…make you pay…for what you did to Hinata-chan."

"Is that so? Well I'm sorry Naruto, but your little girlfriend won't be able to see you anymore. Not after what I did to her eyes." Sasuke laughed as he kicked Naruto in the chest, making him tumble on the water. "She was too stupid to keep her Byakugan active, so I increased the lightning of the Chidori. That much bright light so close to her should have sent her blind!"

"_Hinata-chan…blind? No, that's not possible at all. She doesn't deserve it!"_ The images of Hinata losing her sight ran through his head. If there was anyone that should be able to see the world, it was her. She did everything she could to prove herself, and to many it wasn't enough. But he understood what was most precious to her…the fact that she could look at him any time she wanted. Naruto knew that every time Hinata looked at him, it filled her with so much confidence and happiness. And for Sasuke to rip that away from her… "You took away…Hinata's most precious thing?" Naruto's blood began to boil in anger. It even triggered the Kyuubi's chakra to begin healing his wound at a rapid rate.

"Well if her most precious thing was looking at you, I'd say I did her a favor." Sasuke replied while the black marks of his curse seal began to engulf his body. "She should thank me because she no longer has to look at a demon anymore."

"Demon…you want a demon?" Naruto rose to his feet, staring at the water below him. Red chakra was no longer swirling around him, but it started to bubble out of his body. "You know nothing about demons in this world. You know nothing about the pain and suffering done to those called 'demon'." The chakra continued to emerge until it formed a cloak around Naruto, looking exactly like a fox.

"You're right. An elite as myself need not worry about…" Sasuke's words were cut short as Naruto grabbed him…with a red claw.

"I hope you enjoy the blackest part of hell Sasuke. Because I'll enjoy sending you there!" Naruto flung Sasuke over the waterfall as hard as he could, sending the Uchiha careening towards the bottom. But he wasn't done. Naruto had jumped off the cliff, trailing Sasuke, smashing him countless times with the red chakra. Just before the two hit, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and threw him into the rubble of the statue of Madara. He then made his way over to the base of the statue of Hashirama Senju, Shodaime Hokage. "I saw you once as a friend until I started learning more about you. You say you want to kill your brother and revive your clan? What happened to asking your teammates for help?"

"Don't speak to me like you know me Naruto!" Sasuke slowly got to his feet as the curse seal continued to spread. "I will kill you and gain the eyes of my brother. Once I have that I will kill him once and for all!"

"So it's all about revenge and killing." Naruto growled. "Then you really are lost Sasuke."

"Spare your words dobe. As for that ticket to hell, I think you need to prepare to use it!" Sasuke completed his transformation into his second state. His gray spiked hair flowed as the two large wings on his back flapped back and forth. Sasuke began to channel his chakra into his hand, changing from a bright blue and white to an evil black and purple. "Come Naruto, let us end this foolish battle!"

Naruto held up his hand as a Rasengan began to form. Even with all the rage in his heart, he knew this Rasengan was for all of the people that Sasuke had hurt with his defection, the most hurt being Hinata. "Very well Sasuke. We will end this." Once the Rasengan was finished, Naruto leapt full speed at Sasuke. "RASENGAN!"

"Yes, bring your rage Naruto! Bring it so I can send it to hell with you!" Sasuke screamed as he flew towards his rival. "CHIDORI!"

The two blasts collided, creating a violent maelstrom of energy. The blast engulfed the duo as it expanded, destroying everything in its wake. In that moment, Naruto and Sasuke gave their final strikes. Sasuke was going to punch Naruto in the stomach, but his arm was blocked as Naruto delivered a final punch to Sasuke's face. The resulting backlash slammed Sasuke full speed into the rubble of Madara's statue, no longer in his curse seal form. Naruto fell out of the maelstrom as well. The fox cloak was gone and he was barely standing. His will kept him going as he had one final thing to finish.

"So, coming to finish…the job?" Sasuke spat out some blood as Naruto stood over him. He saw Naruto grab a stray kunai knife and watched him look at it.

"Kunai wounds…" Naruto slashed across Sasuke's arms and legs, slicing them open to allow the Uchiha to bleed. He threw the kunai away and grabbed Sasuke's leg. "A broken leg…" With one strike at the knee, Naruto shattered Sasuke's leg, immobilizing him. He then unconsciously formed a small Rasengan with the help of a clone. "And a Chidori in the shoulder." It wasn't the Chidori, but Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Sasuke's shoulder, grinding through it like a piece of wood. "That was everything you did to Hinata-chan."

Sasuke screamed as the pain overtook him. "It still doesn't matter." He coughed up more blood. "You're too weak to finish me off."

Naruto said nothing as he reached down and grabbed Sasuke by his neck. He slammed the Uchiha against the cliffside and stared into the black pupils of the so-called elite. "So I'm too weak?" Naruto formed one last Rasengan as he held the Uchiha to the wall. "You really like calling me that don't you?"

"I still say you won't do it. You're just like that weak girl of yours. A complete loser!" Sasuke spat out.

Naruto shook his head, "Then you obviously don't know me that well asshole. RASENGAN!"

* * *

**Yeah, I'm predicting that people are going to go insane because I ended it like this. But come on, isn't the "Cliff-hanger no Jutsu" just a delightful writing tool? It just makes you savor for more! Ok, promise that this is the ONLY time I'll use this. See you next chapter for the aftermath! Does Naruto finally get to take out Sasuke like so many people want, or will he spare the traitor? Only time will tell.**


	6. Chapter 6

Neokenshin: For the love of Batman! Sasuke, get a hold of yourself!

Sasuke_(quivering like a blubbering idiot_): But...the whole...and the...why does people want me dead!!!!!

Ino: Can I handle this? _(Neokenshin nods)_ Thank you. _(Slaps Sasuke with a large paper fan)_ Get over yourself! It's a different Sasuke! Not the good guy one from the other stories! Yeesh! And I thought forehead girl was bad.

Sasuke: So...I'm ok?

Ino: DUH!!! We told you that three chapters ago! Oh whatever, everyone just enjoy the story. Kishi owns Naruto and we all say thanks for the wonderful reviews, adds, favorites, and all that jazz.

* * *

Chapter 6

Kakashi rushed through the forests, hoping to get to Sasuke and Naruto before the unthinkable happened. After catching wind from Sakura that Naruto was on an S-rank mission to bring back Sasuke dead or alive, Kakashi knew things were going to get very ugly.

"Damn, things were not supposed to be this way. Obito, where did I go wrong?" Kakashi thought to himself. The true purpose of Team 7 was to make Sasuke learn the purpose of teamwork, Sakura to overcome her so-called fangirl-ness with Sasuke and take being a kunoichi seriously, and for Naruto to overcome the views of the villagers that saw him as a demon. Unfortunately for everyone, that entire plan had gone to hell in a hand basket. No one ever predicted the influence of Orochimaru, or Naruto finally standing up against the negligence. "Both Obito and Minato-sensei would be disappointed." He could only hope that the worst didn't happen. As he continued through the forest, he felt the massive torrent of chakra and energy released nearby. That could only be Naruto and Sasuke. As he approached the entrance to the valley, he saw the unthinkable. Naruto had Sasuke pinned to the stone wall with a Rasengan in hand. Before he could speak, Naruto thrust the Rasengan for the killing strike.

* * *

Naruto gave a cold stare at Sasuke. The Rasengan in his hand continued to spiral at an amazing speed. "Then you obviously don't know me that well asshole! RASENGAN!"

Sasuke didn't even have a second to think as Naruto slammed the Rasengan into his head. Naruto pushed the spiraling ball of chakra deeper into Sasuke's face, drilling through until he had hit rock. Blood erupted from the now headless Uchiha as Naruto dropped the lifeless carcass.

"I hope you rot in hell asshole. That place is too good for you." Naruto said as he spat on the carcass.

* * *

That's what Naruto had been thinking the whole time as Sasuke continued to spit insults. At this point Naruto had heard enough, "Then you obviously don't know me that well asshole! RASENGAN!"

As the dust cleared, Sasuke slowly opened his right eye. Naruto didn't kill him after all. The blonde shinobi actually slammed the Rasengan into the rocks behind him. "I knew you couldn't…" Naruto quickly shut him up by punching him in the face.

"I wasn't about to let you take the easy way out Uchiha." Naruto growled as he ripped Sasuke's hitai-ate from his head. "You no longer deserve to wear this symbol."

"Say what you want. It still shows you're weak." Sasuke spat out. And again Naruto punched him.

"I may be weak in your eyes, but a great Hokage knows to bring the enemies of the village to justice." Naruto told the Uchiha. "I was told that by a great Hokage."

* * *

(Flashback)

Naruto had just received the information about Hinata being attacked by Sasuke. The only thing running through his mind now was the utter destruction of Sasuke Uchiha.

"I will KILL him!" Naruto roared in rage. The red tendrils of the Kyuubi's chakra had already emerged as Naruto was about to storm out. Tsunade had to move quickly if she wanted to calm him.

"Naruto, listen to me!" Tsunade grabbed hold of him and looked him in his eyes. She could see the pure rage and hatred for Sasuke in his eyes. "Naruto, you have to calm down!"

"Why should I? He's gone too far!" Naruto screamed. "Hinata-chan didn't deserve any of that!"

"I know that Naruto. But you have to understand something. If you go out and kill Sasuke, the village will think you were possessed by the Kyuubi when it happens. They'll do everything they can to ruin your dream." Tsunade said. "Naruto you need to remember, a good Hokage can defeat the enemies of the village. A great Hokage will bring those enemies to justice."

(End Flashback)

"You don't know how much I want to rip your eyes out right now." Naruto was doing everything he could to keep his anger under control. "I want you to suffer for what you did and I'll make damn sure of it that you pay for this!"

"Say what…you want." Sasuke spat out more blood. "I'm an Uchiha…that village worships me."

"Worship this." Naruto slammed his fist into Sasuke's stomach, making the Uchiha cough up more blood, but also knocking him out. "Hope you enjoy getting beat by a failure again." Naruto soon blacked out himself, his will power finally giving out.

* * *

Back in Konoha…

Shikamaru and Ino were sitting outside the emergency room at the hospital. Ino was worried about Chouji when she found out that he used his family's three jutsu pills to defeat Jirobo. Right now he was inside, struggling to stay alive after the massive exhaustion of chakra his body underwent.

"I really hope Chouji's gonna make it." Ino sat there a nervous wreck. "He really can't die like this."

"Chouji's a lot stronger than you think Ino. Besides, Naruto told him we'd be celebrating with barbecue." Shikamaru replied as he looked at his broken finger. "When there's barbecue involved, Chouji would fight death itself to get that meal in."

"You really seem in a good mood about all of this." Temari was sitting across from the two. "I figured you'd be more worried about him dying."

Shikamaru nodded, "In any other case, we probably would be. But this was all for Naruto."

"You mean the blonde headed kid?" Temari remembered Naruto from his interaction with Gaara. "What's so special about him? I thought this place was all about the Uchiha."

"Not anymore. Naruto showed that being the dead last means nothing if you have the desire to work for something." Ino replied.

"_Hmm, so guess blondie has a good point._" Temari thought to herself. Since the end of the Chuunin Exams, she has noticed that Gaara has taken on a complete change. He no longer had the sadistic thoughts of mindless killing, and had even become closer to her and Kankuro, even by a small bit. "Guess he really is something to everyone."

"Yeah, well hopefully the news about Hinata won't hurt him. Sasuke really messed up when he attacked her." Ino replied. "I never thought Sasuke could fall so much. He used to be the popular person that everyone thought was so cool."

"Well cool or not, he's a traitor now." Shikamaru commented. "And I hope Naruto gave him what's coming to him."

"Never greater words said Shikamaru." He, Temari, and Ino turned to see Tsunade leaving the operating area.

"Hokage-sama how is Chouji?" Ino asked, hoping for some good news.

"He'll be fine. Thanks to the Nara Clan, their deer helped create a perfect serum to neutralize the effects of the red pill. Chouji will make a complete recovery." Tsunade said as she wiped her brow. "Neji is also doing fine. Shizune is using a medical technique that uses his own hair as a medium to heal the damage he suffered." She went over and notated some information at the desk on a clipboard. "Kiba and Akamaru are fine as well. Kiba's sister Hana is treating Akamaru's wounds. It seems your mission has gone quite well Shikamaru."

"I still can't say it's complete. Naruto hasn't returned. Until I know about him, this mission isn't over." Shikamaru answered. However his answer would soon greet him.

"I have to say Shikamaru; you can say your first led mission is complete…and successful." Kakashi entered the hospital with Naruto on his back and Sasuke underarm. He dropped Sasuke roughly to the ground while handing Naruto to Tsunade.

"ANBU, ensure the Uchiha is secured." Two ANBU appeared and took hold of Sasuke while he was led to a restraining room. "As for you Naruto, mission complete. Let's get you in for some good rest. Shikamaru, I'll expect your report tomorrow morning."

"Absolutely Hokage-sama." Shikamaru replied.

* * *

Hiashi had not been having a good day. It was trouble enough that Hinata was heavily injured by Sasuke, but now he was facing an even bigger problem.

"That is preposterous! I thought I prohibited the sealing of her at any time." Hiashi was livid. The council got wind of Hinata's injuries and snapped at it immediately.

"Hiashi, the fact remains. She was defeated by an Uchiha and her Byakugan seriously injured. That shows nothing but weakness. Our decision is final. In one week she will be sealed and cast from the clan. Hinata is not even befitting to reside in the Branch House," stated a Hyuuga Elder. "As such we now strip her of the title of heir and officially name Hanabi heir of the clan."

"You cannot invoke this. There was no discussion or vote. Even the Rite of Challenge was not invoked. Hinata still retains her title as heir." Hiashi gave his rebuttal, but it was not to be.

"Hiashi, we have decided. Prolong this argument anymore and we will order the sealing within 24 hours." Replied the Elder.

"As you wish. I shall inform her and have her prepared." Hiashi bowed respectfully and took his leave. _"Naruto, I hope that you do return. You're the only one that can prevent this from happening."

* * *

_

About a day had passed, giving everyone enough time to rest and heal. However rest was not for the healers. Tsunade had stayed up all night, working as hard as possible to heal Hinata's eyesight. The surgery was successful, but the real test was how Hinata's normal sight and her Byakugan would be affected. She knew that the girl would never have her original eyesight back, and may even be required to wear glasses to help her from time to time.

As for Naruto, even after taking the damage from Sasuke, the Kyuubi had immediately went to work healing him. His bruises and small injuries were all but healed, and the Chidori wound had sealed and was now slowly healing as well. But after being in the hospital so many times, Naruto found it second nature that he'd only be in for one or two days. His thoughts now were focused on Hinata, hoping she would recover soon.

"_I wonder if Hinata-chan is ok. She really didn't deserve to be hurt by Sasuke like that."_ He stared out the window at the village. It hurt him the most that he couldn't stop Sasuke earlier. "I already brought Sasuke back, so why do I feel like I want to hurt him more?"

"Maybe it's because you are realizing Hinata is more than a friend." Naruto turned to see Hiashi at his door. "I have to commend you Naruto. One might think you would have simply executed the Uchiha instead of returning him for a proper judgment."

"Well a part of me wanted to kill him. I wanted to be the monster everyone calls me and just rip him to pieces." Naruto felt down that he was having these thoughts. "Last night, I kept dreaming that I shoved that final Rasengan into his head instead of the rocks beside him."

"So what stopped you?" asked Hiashi. "Your mission was to bring him back dead or alive. No matter what your choice, you would have been following the parameters of your mission."

"It was what Baa-chan told me before I left. She said that a good Hokage can defeat the enemies of the village, but a great Hokage will bring those enemies to justice." Naruto replied. "I guess killing Sasuke wouldn't really be bringing him to justice."

"Those are wise words Naruto. Hokage-sama is right. Sometimes killing an enemy is not the way to bring that enemy to justice." Hiashi said to him. "But things aside, I have some grim news concerning Hinata."

Naruto suddenly felt nervous. He had no clue about her condition. "What's wrong? Is she going to be ok?"

"Hokage-sama said her corrective surgery for her eyesight will be fine. She will not be going blind, but she will have some small trouble seeing from time to time. The range of her Byakugan was seriously reduced as well." Naruto felt a wave of relief wash over him. "But that's not the problem. Remember when I told you that political deception doesn't just affect a ninja village, but that it even affects clans as well?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Naruto. "What's the problem?"

"It is the Hyuuga Council Naruto. They have gone behind my back and decreed that Hinata is no longer fit to be named heir of the Hyuuga Clan. They have already passed that onto her sister." Hiashi explained. "To make matters worse, they feel that because she was injured by Sasuke, it is a sign of weakness and dishonor to the Hyuuga."

"That's stupid! It wasn't her fault at all!" Naruto snapped back.

"There's more Naruto. The council feels that because Hinata is weak and a disgrace, she is to be branded with the Caged Bird seal and banished from the clan." Hiashi said. "It is the worst and most humiliating punishment of a Hyuuga."

"So what, she gets kicked out of the clan and gets that stupid seal that Neji has? Why can't you stop them?" Naruto retorted. "Hinata-chan doesn't deserve any of that!"

"Believe me Naruto, I did try. However the elders have held great hostility towards the Uchiha clan, and have felt that the Uchiha are below us. When Hinata was injured by Sasuke, the elders took that as a sign of great disrespect. Since Hinata is the heir, they feel that Hinata should have defeated Sasuke." Hiashi explained.

"This isn't fair at all! So what's going to happen to Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto, this is where you come in." Hiashi took a scroll from his robe and gave it to Naruto. Naruto looked over it and saw it was the same scroll Hiashi showed him in his office.

"This is that betro…betrof…that marriage scroll, right?" Naruto asked. "But what's this got to do with anything?"

"As I said Naruto, deception is a strong part of the ninja world. The scroll I showed to you and Hinata was a fake. However the real contract has always been hidden." Hiashi said. "The reason we created a real scroll was in the event something were to happen to Hinata. After you left that day, I explained things to Hinata."

(Flashback)

"Hinata, how much of what I explained to Naruto do you understand?" asked Hiashi after Naruto had left.

"I u-u-understand the part about the deception in clans. B-b-but how am I affected?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Hinata, you need not be afraid. First I want to apologize for being so harsh on you all these years." Hinata jumped at the apology. "This isn't apologizing because Naruto asked. The reason I've been so strict on you is to fool the Hyuuga elders."

"W-w-why would you do that?" asked Hinata.

"Hinata, you take so much after your mother. You have her kind heart, her warm spirit, and her gentle eyes. You don't take after the cold stature that the Hyuuga put forward. The elders are afraid that your personality would make the clan seem soft. They also believe that once you were to become clan head, you would work to abolish the Caged Bird seal, the one thing that gives them more power in the clan." Hiashi told his daughter. "The Branch House has so much support for you and the elders believe that you would be the key to overthrowing their power over the Branch House."

"I d-d-didn't know Otou-sama." Hinata replied softly. "I always thought it was because Oka-san passed on and you were in grief."

"You don't know how much I miss your mother every single day. Both you and Hanabi share so much of her, but you alone are like the spitting image of her. I wasn't joking when I said you and Naruto are just like how she was with Minato." He took a scroll from his desk and gave it to Hinata. "Listen Hinata, you need to be vigilant with your training. Continue to show improvement as to not arouse the Elders. But in the event that something happens beyond your control, I need you to sign this."

Hinata opened the scroll and saw it was the betrothal scroll she read earlier. However there were four signatures at the bottom, and two blank spaces underneath that. "Otou-sama, I thought you said the scroll was fake?"

"The one I showed you and Naruto was fake. This one is real, signed by myself, Minato, Kushina, and your mother. Minato even solidified it by applying the seal of the Hokage as well. Since Naruto knows that he is the son of a Hokage, this contract would officially declare you engaged and allow you to be married upon reaching 16. It would give you two options." Hiashi explained as Hinata looked over the scroll. "Your first option would be to stay with the clan and unite the Hyuuga with the Namikaze. Naruto would officially be considered part of the Main House and receive all rights, along with bringing the entire prestige that Minato had built up."

"What's the second option?" the shy girl hoped it wasn't worse.

"The second option is that you will be officially released from all duties as heir of the Hyuuga clan. You would also never be sealed by the Caged Bird seal, nor would any of your children be affected as well. You would still receive full protection from the clan, and still have access to any type of inheritance. Hanabi would be named heir and you would have no problems in the future." Hiashi told her. "The elders wouldn't dare go after someone linked to the Namikaze family. That name is the only family name the Hyuuga hold above them."

"B-b-but what about Naruto-kun's feelings? What if he doesn't want to marry me?" Hinata felt the air of rejection as she shuttered at the thought.

"Hinata, you are free to marry any man you want. Even if Naruto doesn't show the same feelings of love, he has shown that you are precious to him. This contract is for the outside world and for any type of legal protection for you. If Naruto were to say he only wanted to be friends with you and never go further, I would do all in my power to ensure both of you are happy in life." Hiashi said to her. "However, I believe that the two of you are destined to be together. You need to show him that you want more than friendship. But do not rush him Hinata. Build up your relationship with him and solidify your friendship, then allow things to happen naturally."

"I'll d-do that Otou-sama." Hinata nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"You will need to sign this contract. To ensure that it is solid, you will need to sign it in your own blood." Hiashi took a small plate and a dry quill. "Go ahead and cut your finger." He gave her a small knife and she cut her finger, allowing it to bleed onto the plate. She then took the quill and neatly signed her name in blood onto the contract. The blood reacted with the paper, first glowing and then fading into a dark signature. "Good, all that is left is for Naruto to sign if the time comes. But let us hope that never happens."

(End Flashback)

"Naruto, you are the only one that can prevent any of this to happen to Hinata." Hiashi told the blonde. "I'm asking this not as a clan head, but as a father looking out for his daughter."

"I…don't know. Hinata-chan's like my best friend." Naruto replied as he looked over the empty space on the scroll for his signature. "I mean, I know she loves me, but I don't know if I feel the same about her. And what about what you said about my father's enemies? If they found out, they could attack Hinata-chan. I can't do that to her!"

"Naruto, I understand. That's why I'm not forcing you, but asking you. This is a lot to take in, and I want you to think about it." Hiashi said.

"How long does she have before they try to put that seal on her?" asked Naruto.

"She has a week at most. They may try to pull something and speed up the sealing. I'm going to request ANBU protection for her while she is in recovery." Hiashi told him. "After that, without your signature she'll be branded and exiled from the clan."

"Have you told her yet?" he asked, hoping Hinata knew the situation.

"Not yet. I plan to tell her after I have finished speaking with you." Hiashi replied negatively. "Honestly, she doesn't deserve to hear this. You've done so much for her Naruto, and the elders believe it was for nothing."

Naruto sat there thinking of the amount of pain Hinata would endure if the seal was placed on her. He could see her broken and in tears, and it hurt him because he didn't know what decision to make. He knew he could easily sign the scroll and end this, but what if he never loved Hinata the way she loved him? He couldn't bear shattering the girl, not after the way she befriended him and proved that she never cared that he had the Kyuubi inside him, or that he was the son of the Yondaime. "Hyuuga-sama?"

Hiashi turned to answer, "Yes my boy, what is it?"

"Let me think about this. I want to make sure I do the right thing. I know that by saying that, it means I may choose not to go through with this and put Hinata-chan through some very painful times." Naruto said in a solemn tone as he looked at the scroll. "But I can't go through with this if I find out that I won't be able to return the love that she's given me. I just can't shatter her heart like that. I would be the worst kind of monster to do that to her."

Hiashi understood what he was talking about. He knew Naruto wanted to make the right choice, not only to protect Hinata, but to ensure that she doesn't endure a lifetime of heartbreak from her true love. "Naruto, more and more you start to remind me of Minato. I know you will make the right choice. Not just for you, but for Hinata as well."

"I hope I will too." Naruto replied, knowing he had another difficult choice ahead of him.

* * *

A few days passed and Naruto was finally healed and out of the hospital. He came back every day to check on his friends and make sure they were all healing well. Chouji was back into his own groove after his mother brought a large load of his favorite potato chips, and Kiba was enjoying the break time with Akamaru. Neji had gotten wind of the situation with Hinata and wasn't happy at all. He knew the pain of the Caged Bird seal first hand, and knew that was a pain that no one should endure.

"So, Naruto what brings you here today? I thought that you would be keeping Hinata-sama company?" asked Neji.

"Neji, I need to ask you something. I remember when you showed me that seal of yours back at the Chuunin Exams. Do you remember how it felt when you had it applied?" asked Naruto as he sat down beside Neji's bed. "Was it a small pain or was it worse?"

Neji ran his hand across his forehead, "Naruto I will not lie to you. Even though I was only four at the time, the pain from that seal was excruciating. It felt as if a thousand burning kunai were being carved into my head at one time. I would only wish that pain on my worst enemies."

"_Hinata-chan would go through that? Can I really do that to her? But with the marriage thing…what if I did find someone else? I can't destroy Hinata-chan like that either."_ Naruto thought to himself. "Neji…what if…what if you knew someone that was about to undergo a terrible pain. They're being forced to do this all because someone saw them as weak."

Neji easily knew what Naruto was talking about, but decided to go along. "I see, and is there more to this person you speak of."

"Well, let's just say this person really liked another person. And the person she liked held the key to keeping her from that terrible pain. But at the same time, the person she liked wasn't sure if they liked her back." Naruto tried his best to explain. "It's not that they don't like the girl…I mean they consider her one of their best friends."

"So why is this person unsure of their actions?" Neji inquired.

"See…this person knows that if they didn't return the same feelings to the girl, it would destroy her. And this person can't bring himself to do that to the girl." Naruto added. "I…uh, I mean they don't know what to do about all of this."

"Naruto, I don't need my Byakugan to see through your words." Neji replied. "This is a very tough choice for you concerning Hinata-sama." Naruto tried to cover everything up but Neji saw through it. "This is a very tough decision indeed. Have you spoken with Hinata-sama yet?"

"I haven't talked to her at all. Neji, I just don't know what to do. If I chicken out and don't sign the contract, she'll hate me for not stopping this. And if I do sign it, I run the risk of hurting her worse in the future." Naruto grimaced in emotional pain.

"Naruto, you've always been one to do the unthinkable. And every time you've stopped a heavy injustice from occurring." Neji looked hard at Naruto with a solid stare, but one of confidence. "You know what your choice is Naruto, and you know the choice you make will be the right one."

Naruto was still confused with his decision, but knew he only had a short time to choose. He felt that more time was needed to think over things, "Neji thanks. I really hope you're right."

* * *

Three more days passed. A grim cloud hovered over the Clan of Hyuuga. It was on this day that Konoha's own Princess, Hinata Hyuuga was to be branded with the Caged Bird seal and cast from her clan as an exile. She was told of her fate and knew that she would be facing the worst thing ever. She sat in her room awaiting the messenger that would lead her to the council of elders, where she would face her own father who would brand her with the seal and formally excommunicate her. Hinata held herself as best she could with her arm in a sling from her shoulder injury, but it wasn't enough to console her.

"_Naruto-kun, I really wish you were here right now. I really need you." _Her thoughts were in scrambles as she looked at the pictures of her mother and of Naruto on her bureau. Her thoughts reminded her of the times she shared with her mother in the gardens of her home, and of the times Naruto trained with her. Those were the moments she truly felt at peace. That peace was soon broken by a knock at her door.

"Hinata-sama, it is time." Neji arrived to lead Hinata to a place that not even he would want to go again. "The council and Hiashi-sama are waiting."

Hinata rose slowly and wiped the tears from her face. She knew that this would be the last time she would see her room, as her excommunication would banish her from her home. "I understand Neji-kun." She slowly walked out and joined him as they began the long walk to the council room.

The walk was mostly in silence as they had to walk across a majority of the complex. Neji could see the pain and sadness in Hinata as she simply stared at the ground. He could see her body shivering as she faced her destiny. "Hinata-sama…"

"Please, you n-n-need not address me by that title Neji-kun. Soon I w-w-will be beneath you. You should no longer see m-m-me as someone above you." Hinata said quietly.

Neji simply placed his arm around her uninjured shoulder, "Hinata-sama, I know I have done this many times before, but I want to ask once more. I wish to ask for your forgiveness for the pain I inflicted upon you and the hatred I had for you for so many years."

Hinata let loose a small smile, "It's ok Neji-kun. I forgave you. It wasn't your fault."

"Thank you Hinata-sama." Neji said as they arrived at the entrance to the council room. He opened the door, where the five elders of the clan and Hiashi stood in waiting. Just as Hinata was walking in, Neji whispered something in her ear, _"Don't give up on him. Remember, he is unpredictable."_

Hinata felt a little solace as she walked in to face the council and her father. Hiashi kept the cold gaze of the Hyuuga leader, but inside he was seething at the council. He had made a solid promise to his wife that he would never place the seal upon his daughters. Even though Hanabi, as the younger sister, should have been branded with the seal, Hiashi stood steadfast in his promise. Now he felt as if the lords of hell were smiting him, casting ridicule upon him for allowing this to happen to his eldest daughter.

"Hinata, I believe you understand the conditions for you appearing before the council today?" Hiashi said in a cold tone.

"Y-y-yes Otou-sama." Hinata never gave eye contact. "I understand."

"Very well. As decreed by the elder council of the Hyuuga clan, you have been deemed unworthy of the title of heir to the clan. That title is hereby stripped from you, and passed to your sister Hanabi." Hiashi said, cold as ever. "In addition, you have brought disgrace upon the clan by falling to the hand of an Uchiha. As punishment for such a disgrace, you have been deemed unworthy to reside in the Branch House. As of this day, you shall be banished from the clan."

"I understand Otou-sama." Hiashi looked at Hinata and saw how broken she was. He knew that she wanted to break down in tears right in front of him, but she was using every ounce of will to keep from doing so.

"Your final punishment will be the branding of the Caged Bird seal. Step forward and accept your punishment." The council looked on as Hinata slowly moved forward, going to her knees in front of Hiashi. The clan head took one final look at his daughter before he began. _"Naruto, it's now or never!"_

"WHERE IS SHE?" Everyone turned back to the entrance to overhear what sounded as mild combat. The door was ripped to the side as Naruto stood there, restrained by Neji. "Let me go Neji!"

Hinata suddenly looked up and saw Naruto, _"Naruto-kun!!! You did come!"_

"Hiashi, what is _that demon_ doing here! Have him removed immediately!" one of the elders demanded.

"Oh you want to see demon, I'll show you demon!" Naruto growled in rage. Neji took precaution and released Naruto. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Demon, leave this room immediately. You have no business here." Demanded the council elder.

Naruto ignored the threat and went before the council, "Why don't you shut your trap! I don't think you're in any position to speak to the son of the Yondaime like that."

The council was aghast. "You lie boy! No _demon_ is the son of the Yondaime."

"Really? Well then why would I have this?" Naruto took the scroll Hiashi gave to him earlier in the week. "How about I read it to you…ahem…" Naruto then began to read the contents of the betrothal contract before the council. The air became writhed with killing intent as the council knew their plan was in danger.

"Hiashi, that contract is null and void! We did not approve of a betrothal contract at all!" the elders were livid.

"I do apologize, but you see that contract was done between the clan head of the Hyuuga, and the Yondaime Hokage. There are signatures of myself, Minato Namikaze, the mother of his son Kushina Uzumaki, and my own wife Hiyori Hyuuga." Hiashi explained as he took the scroll from Naruto. "There are also spaces for signatures. One has already been filled with the signature of my daughter Hinata Hyuuga."

"The final space is for the signature of the son of the Yondaime Hokage, namely me!" Naruto said as he took an empty quill from his pocket. The conditions of the contract are that if I agree, Hinata-chan has a choice to make. Either she unites the house of Namikaze and the Hyuuga clan, or she is released honorably from her title as and duties heir. In both cases she is protected against this stupid seal of yours!"

"That contract is invalid. We will not honor it!" another elder shouted.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Hiashi said, noting the seal of the Hokage. "Well Naruto, you have a decision to make."

"You're right. I do have a decision to make. Ever since I got this thing, I kept wondering what my choice is. Either I don't sign it and Hinata-chan gets that seal and probably hates me for it."

"_No Naruto-kun, I wouldn't hate you. I could never hate you." _Hinata thought to herself.

"Or I sign the scroll. The only problem with that is the fact that Hinata-chan already told me she loves me. I haven't said that same thing to her. I don't know if I ever will be able to. She's my best friend, but all this talk about love and everything…it just confuses me. The worst thing I could do is end up falling in love with someone else and completely break her heart. I could never do that to Hinata-chan!"

"_Is that why he's hesitating? He's afraid that he may break my heart?"_ It all made sense to Hinata. He's been faced with a problem about her the whole time. She could see hidden pain in his heart from having to decide this.

"It doesn't matter boy. Your point is moot."

"Say what you want. I'm holding the cards right now." Naruto said as he twirled the quill. "So Hyuuga-sama, you want to know my choice?"

"Yes Naruto, you need to choose. Will you agree or disagree with the terms of the contract placed before you." Hiashi said, holding the contract out in front of Naruto.

Naruto looked over the contract one last time, then turned and looked at Hinata. Her fate was in his hands depending on the outcome of his choice. "I choose…"

* * *

**Oh boy, I thought pulling it the last chapter was bad, but I think I may end up facing an angry horde!!!! Yes, I didn't kill Sasuke. I know so many people wanted to see him dead. That doesn't mean that he's going to get away from facing trial. I will say this...Sasuke WILL die. I have a more fitting ending for him. Naruto was just the start of his misery.**

**Now a small poll, this may or may not happen. In a future chapter, would you want to see Kushina Uzumaki return to Konoha? There is still speculation on her being alive, so no one knows what happened to her. But just put a little comment in your reviews saying if you would want her to come back or you'd rather her be dead. It'll help give me ideas**.


	7. Chapter 7

Kasumi: Let me guess...you used that didn't you.

Neokenshin: Yep.

Kasumi_(sighs)_: Seriously the Cliffhanger no Jutsu is some dangerous stuff. At least that angry mob didn't resort to stuff like goat sacrifice or casting voodoo on you.

Neokenshin: Well, I figure that since I left them hanging like that, I'd get the conclusion up. I owed it to them for making this story so popular. Plus it's giving you guys an extended vacation while I come up with new ideas.

Kasumi: True. The inbox has been flooded with reviews, favorites, story alerts, hits, all that! Whatever, everyone knows the story's owned by Kishimoto. Even though it's short, enjoy the chapter everyone!

* * *

Chapter 7

"I choose…" Everyone was anticipating Naruto's response. Hinata's fate lay in his very hands and she was so tense that she could barely think straight. "NOT…"

Hinata heard that word and instantly felt her world crashing down. _"I guess Naruto-kun is really afraid of breaking my heart. I wish I could have told him that it would be ok if he didn't love me back."_ She was so distraught that she didn't see his next action. Naruto however saw her looking down and figured she was thinking the worst happened.

"Hinata-chan, I think you should see this." Naruto asked her. She looked up to see that he stabbed the quill into his own palm. "Like I was saying, I choose NOT to let you stuck up bastards put Hinata-chan through this!" He yanked the quill from his bloody palm and immediately signed his name on the contract. The signature reacted, sealing the deal. "So don't even THINK about laying a finger on her."

"We will not acknowledge this! Hiashi that contact is null!" The elders were in uproar at Naruto's actions.

"I beg to differ Elder Hyuuga." The entire group turned to the door to see Tsunade standing there. "Guess it was a good idea that I came with you Naruto."

"You brought Hokage-sama with you?" asked Hiashi.

"Well yeah. I mean this is a big political matter, right? I figured Baa-chan would have some good advice for me." Naruto replied.

* * *

(Flashback)

"Hey Baa-chan, can I ask you something?" Naruto walked in to see Tsunade overlooking paperwork.

"What is it Naruto. And is something wrong with you? Normally you storm in here with something." Tsunade asked as she looked up from her paperwork.

"I…I need some advice." Naruto took the scroll and showed it to Tsunade.

"Hmm, so what's the problem? Hinata's a wonderful girl for you. She really cares about you Naruto." Tsunade replied.

"That's the deal. I don't really know if I feel the same thing for her." Naruto said. "I mean she's a wonderful friend, and she'll always be one of my precious people. But I don't want to sign the contract and then end up breaking her heart. I could never do that to her."

Tsunade just smiled at Naruto. She couldn't believe this little blonde headed brat was actually starting to grow up. "You know something Naruto; you actually sound a little grown up there."

"I what?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.

"What I mean is that sometimes with things this important, you usually get hyper about it." Tsunade explained to him. "I'm proud you're taking this very seriously."

"Well, no matter what choice I take, I would end up hurting Hinata-chan somehow. I mean I don't want her to be branded with that seal or whatever, but I don't want to break her heart." Naruto stated plainly. "What would you do if you were me?"

"Well Naruto, I'd say the choice is clear. Let's look at it this way. If Hinata had the Caged Bird seal placed on her because of you, how do you think it would affect her life?" asked Tsunade.

Naruto took a second to think, "Well, her dad did say she would be kicked out of her clan. I mean I guess she's end up either staying with one rookies or she'd be on her own."

"That's only part of it Naruto. Do you remember what the seal does?" Tsunade asked. Naruto thought about it and remembered his fight with Neji. "Wait, that seal can kill her?"

"Yes Naruto. Not only that but the Hyuuga Council knows she loves you. If she were to get the seal, they can threaten you with her life." Tsunade told him. "But we're comparing both sides now. So let's take a look at what might happen if you do sign the contract."

"Well it says that if we do get engaged, she can choose to unite the Namikaze Family with the Hyuuga Clan, or she can be released from her title as heir of the Hyuuga, but still receive full protection from the clan. Either way she doesn't get branded with that seal." Naruto said as he read over the scroll.

"Ok Naruto, now why do you think you'd break Hinata's heart? Do you think you couldn't love her?" asked the Hokage.

"The thing is I never really noticed Hinata-chan that much. Well not until she found out who I really was." Naruto said depressingly. "I mean I know she likes to be around me because she says that I make her feel more confident and she understands my nindo."

"I see. And you're afraid because you don't think you'll ever see her for more than that?" Tsunade questioned.

"Yeah, I really liked Sakura a lot before I realized how stupid I was for letting her hit me and stuff. I mean Sakura never really said anything nice about me." Naruto answered. "But even though Hinata-chan was always nice to me, she always seemed to have some kind of fever. I mean have you seen how red she gets?"

Tsunade started laughing at Naruto's response. "Naruto, she doesn't get a fever. She's always been very shy around you and she would faint when you noticed her sometimes. That's normal for a girl that really likes a certain blonde knucklehead."

"What do you mean that's normal! That's not normal at all!" Naruto said in shock.

"Yes it is Naruto. And even if you didn't fall in love with Hinata, you consider her one of your closest friends and someone precious to you. A girl would feel some rejection if the boy she loved told her that they would only be friends." Tsunade said wisely. "But if that girl knew the boy she loved gave a permanent promise to always be there for her as a best friend, her broken heart would heal very quickly because she knows she has at least one person there for her. From the way you talk about Hinata, she knows that she can always count on you to be there for her."

"I never thought about it that way." Naruto looked over the scroll one more time. "But what about all of my dad's old enemies? If they found out about me and Hinata-chan, they may try to kill her."

"Naruto, I can tell you this. Your dad was probably the greatest Hokage this village ever had. People loved him because he cared so much about them. Minato wasn't the type that stayed in the office all the time. He even did D-rank missions himself to prove that just because he was Hokage, it didn't mean he wasn't a normal person." Tsunade said as she looked at Minato's picture on the wall. "He would eat at Ichiraku's like everyone else, and even go to the academy and help the students there." She turned back and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, if this village knew that someone was engaged to the Namikaze family, they would fight tooth and nail to protect that person."

"But because of the stupid fur-ball, they all think I'm a demon." Naruto said sadly.

Tsunade walked over and kneeled down to look him in the eyes. "That's why you need to train hard and prove to this village that you are its protector. Show these people that you will fight tooth and nail to not only protect Hinata, but each and every villager like a true Hokage would."

Naruto started to understand all of her words, "I think I know what I have to do Baa-chan."

"I think you do too Naruto." Tsunade replied.

(End Flashback)

* * *

"So to ensure that everything is valid, Naruto asked me to come and review the contract." Tsunade said as she overlooked everything. "From what I can see all of the signatures are valid, and it bears the official seal of the Hokage."

"This demon is not the son of the Yondaime! He is some no name…" one of the elders was cut off by a wave of killing intent by Tsunade.

"This boy is the sole survivor of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki because I delivered him MYSELF!" Tsunade said angrily. "You dare doubt the word of the granddaughter and great niece of the Shodaime and Nidaime? Do you show hostility against the name of Senju?" She pulled out one more scroll and placed it before the elders. "If you doubt my word then doubt this. A fully legal Konoha birth certificate for one Naruto Uzumaki, witnessed by one Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage, one Jiraiya of the Sannin, and one Tsunade Senju of the Sannin, dated and officially sealed on October 10."

Naruto shot a smile at the council elders. "So I guess now we get to listen to Hinata-chan and see what she wants to do. Considering she's now the heir to the clan again and officially engaged into the Namikaze family, I think she'd have a lot of important things to say." Naruto walked over and saw Hinata on her knees crying. "Hey why are you crying Hinata-chan?"

She wiped her face as best she could with her free arm. "Naruto-kun, are you serious about this? Do you really w-w-want to be engaged to me?"

"Look, I still don't know much about this love thing. I do know that I'll always be your friend, no matter what. If you ever need me for anything, just ask and I'll be there for you." Naruto said as he helped her to her feet. "That and I really don't know a lot about you, like your favorite things and hobbies and stuff. But I'd like to learn about them if you'd let me?"

"Of course Naruto-kun!" She threw herself into his chest and continued crying. "Thank you Naruto-kun!"

"Uh ok…I guess." Naruto said as he held on to her.

"This is a most joyous occasion indeed, but we do still have pressing matters." Hiashi said, clearing his throat. "Hinata, you have a great choice to make. Will you retain the title of heir and officially merge the families of Hyuuga and Namikaze? Or will you relinquish your title to your sister and officially stand by the family of Namikaze. In either choice, you are now immune from ever being sealed by the Caged Bird seal and will retain all royalties of the Main House, as will your future children and descendants."

"Hiashi, are you saying this boy would become a member of the Main House and share the power of clan head?" asked one of the elders. "We will not agree…"

"Hey old guys, you don't have a choice!" Naruto snapped out. "Now shut up and let Hinata-chan talk!"

Hinata thought about her decision and knew exactly what she wanted to do. "Otou-sama, honorable elders, I have made my choice." Everyone looked at her as she chose. "Otou-sama, I wish to let Hanabi-chan become the clan heir."

"Hinata, are you sure? Your word will finalize this." Hiashi asked, getting a nod from his daughter.

"I do. All the elders care about is Naruto-kun's name and what's inside of him. I don't want him to deal with the elders." Hinata replied. "If they were nicer to Naruto-kun, I might have changed my choice."

"Hokage-sama, do you bear witness to the choice made here today?" asked Hiashi. Tsunade replied in full agreement. "Very well. As put forth by the contract signing, I hereby acknowledge that my daughter Hinata Hyuuga has relinquished her title as heir of the Hyuuga clan by way of engagement to Naruto Uzumaki, the sole living member of the Namikaze family. She and her lineage shall never be branded with the Caged Bird seal, and will receive all benefits, protections, royalties, and inheritances of the Main House. Her sister Hanabi Hyuuga is hereby named the official heir of the Hyuuga Clan." Hiashi took the signed scroll and gave it to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, I believe this is to be archived in accordance to the guidelines of official marriage contracts."

"Of course Hiashi-sama. It shall be filed and go on record. Upon the day of Hinata's 16th birthday, both she and Naruto shall be eligible to be wed."

"Understood." Hiashi nodded in agreement. He then turned to the newly engaged couple. "Hinata, as you have now been released from your obligations, you may remain here and continue living in the clan compound, or you may leave and take up residence with your future husband."

Both Hinata and Naruto immediately blushed over the words. They'd actually be living together? "Uh w-w-well…" Hinata said nervously.

"I mean there's…well it's to say…" Naruto added.

"Hiashi-sama, if I may. I request Hinata take up residence with me. As she is my apprentice, I feel it will be more beneficial for her studies and training. In addition Naruto, I've received word that in three weeks time, you will be leaving Konoha for a training journey with Jiraiya. He feels that your training will vastly improve in your travels." Tsunade said. "Well that settles the living arrangements. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for a meeting with the clan heads. Hiashi-sama I expect to see you there."

"Of course Hokage-sama." Hiashi said as Tsunade took her leave. "Well, any final comments from either of you?"

Naruto stepped up, "Yeah I have one. How do I put this…looks like you old guys just got screwed! Apparently I'm supposed to get some kind of inheritance from my dad when I get old enough, and I heard he was loaded!" All the council could do was grumble in their humiliation from Naruto. "Come on Hinata-chan, wanna go to Ichiraku's?"

"Ok Naruto-kun." Hinata replied. She bowed politely to her father and to the elders as she walked out with Naruto.

"I believe there is no other business to attend to. I thank each of you for being here to bear witness to an honorable occasion in our clan." Hiashi said with a sarcastic smile. "As for me, I have a meeting to attend. Good day." Hiashi took his leave, knowing that the clan elders that have been a thorn in his side just got screwed by Konoha's number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja.

* * *

As for Naruto and Hinata…

"Hey Hinata-chan, can I ask you something?" Naruto figured this would be the best time to get the question out.

"Of course Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a happy smile.

"All of those times that you were turning red and stuff…that's because you were about to faint or something, wasn't it?" asked Naruto.

"Y-yes it was. I know it seems embarrassing. I'll try harder not to do it." Normally she'd be poking her fingers together, but she just tapped her cast.

"It's ok. I didn't know." Naruto said as he walked with his hands behind his head. "But I really would like to know about all of the stuff you like to do. I know I can't really say I love you right now…"

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. I already know that you will always be there for me no matter what." Hinata replied.

"_Holy crap, Baa-chan was right! How'd she know?"_ Naruto thought to himself. "Well, you've always been a good person. Plus you don't hate me because of well…"

"Naruto-kun, I'll never hate you." Naruto noticed Hinata stop walking for a minute. "I…I just hope…no…I promise I'll always be good to you."

Naruto smiled at her words and knew she was serious. "Gee, thanks Hinata-chan. I appreciate that." Hinata saw his genuine smile and knew it was time for her to make her next move. She threw caution to the wind and quickly went for her target, delivering a quick kiss on Naruto's cheek. "H-Hinata-chan?"

Hinata went redder than ever. "I…that was my w-w-way of saying thank you…for everything Naruto-kun." She tried her hardest to look at him, but she was just too bashful to do it.

"Oh, uh well…ok. Come on, ramen's my treat." Naruto said as he started walking again. Hinata quickly ran and caught up. Little did they know…

"Now THIS is the best gossip ever! Everyone's going to flip when they hear this!" Ino snickered to herself from a back alley.

* * *

Tsunade was definitely in a better mood. Things were looking better for Naruto and even Hinata as well. She saw Naruto definitely growing up to be a fine shinobi. Now her next order of business was meeting with the clan heads and the council. Most times she would hate dealing with them, but today was just a day that things were actually looking good. As she walked in, she saw all the heads, plus the advisors Danzo, Koharu, and Homura all awaiting her.

"Hokage-sama, you seem in good spirits today?" asked Shikaku Nara. "I take it something good has happened."

"Actually Nara-san, I am in good spirits. I have approved a wonderful engagement of families today, and I feel today's meeting will bear good fruit." Tsunade said as she took her seat. "Now the agenda today is brainstorming."

"Brainstorming Hokage-sama? About what?" asked Danzo.

Tsunade looked at him with an evil grin, "First order of business…how to kill a traitor named Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

**OK!! This time I didn't use that dreaded jutsu! You guys have been wonderful with reading this story, especially since it was only just supposed to be a one shot. Heck it was only supposed to go to like 3 or 4 chapters. I may keep this going just enough for Naruto to leave and do one final chapter about him coming back, but I dunno if I'll take it further into the Shippuuden line, considering I still have The Bijuu Wars to work on.**

**Now for another reader opinion question...how do you want Sasuke to die? Do you want it gruesome...quick and painless...slow and painful...or do you want him to do some honorable sacrifice thing to try and redeem himself. I have a death planned, but I wanna get some of your views about it as well. Till next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Neokenshin: Ok someone want to explain to me why Sasuke is in the bathroom sick?

Haku: He read the chapter.

Neokenshin: So you mean he still doesn't get the difference even after Ino knocked him stupid two chapters ago?

Haku: Nope.

Neokenshin: For the love of...alright someone get him some Alka Seltzer and take him back to his trailer. While we're at it, anyone seen Sakura? She's still not crying is she?

Haku: No, she's actually been in her trailer watching anime reruns and gorging on chocolate ice cream. She still thinks some people hate her, but it's not as bad as Sasuke.

Neokenshin: Yeesh, ya bash two characters for a bit and they go all emo and insane! Whatever. Well, this is another big chapter that the readers have been waiting for. Kishi owns Naruto, and hope you all enjoy. And seriously...I did NOT expect you guys to like this story so much. But since you guys do, I will do my best to keep it going as long as possible.

* * *

Chapter 8

The entire council room went into uproar at Tsunade's words at her plans for the meeting. Executions were one thing, but the execution of Sasuke Uchiha?

"Tsunade, what is the meaning for this action." Koharu was the first to speak. "What grounds do you hold for the execution of Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Oh it's simple really. He injured two Konoha shinobi, was part of the cause of four more Konoha shinobi to become injured. Oh did I mention one of those was a Chuunin as well." Tsunade began speaking of the retrieval mission.

"That injured Chuunin only had a broken finger!" Homura snapped in.

"I know. But he was still injured on a mission." Tsunade said with a grin. "Now where was I, oh he also caused some minor scratches on three of our guests from Suna as well. I believe Temari said something about getting some dirt in her hair, but she's not the cosmetic type."

"Tsunade you are completely out of line with this. There is no concurrent proof that Sasuke Uchiha caused any of this." Koharu stated. "If anything it was the influence of that Uzumaki boy that stirred up any notion." That snapped a spark in Tsunade. "Besides, we need Sasuke to preserve the Sharingan. As the last loyal Uchiha to Konoha, his place is here."

"I see." Tsunade got up out of her chair and calmly walked over to Koharu. "Advisor Koharu, could you stand up for a second? I noticed something on your robe."

"And just what…" Koharu couldn't say another word as Tsunade grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall.

"Tsunade, restrain yourself immediately!" Danzo ordered.

"ANBU, please ensure that Advisors Mitokado and Shimura are able to listen carefully to all of the information presented." Out of nowhere four ANBU appeared from the shadows, keeping guard around Danzo and Homura. "Oh and if they so much as try anything…kill them."

"Tsunade this is…" Danzo was cut short as one of the ANBU held up an unsheathed tanto to his neck.

"Hokage-sama says you need to listen Danzo-san." The ANBU's voice was cold and solid.

"Thank you Raven." Tsunade cleared her throat and continued. "As I was saying, in dealing with the traitor Sasuke Uchiha, there is significant evidence against him. The first being that he brutally attacked and hospitalized a Konoha shinobi. Oh but that's not what made it so bad now. He injured the former heir of the Hyuuga clan, Hinata Hyuuga!" Murmurs began to rise up in the room over the news.

"Former? Hiashi-san, what happened to your daughter?" Tsume Inuzuka leaned over to inquire about the information.

"Give it a day. Our children will find out soon enough. I'd say somehow Inoichi-san's daughter has already caught wind of the information." Hiashi replied.

Attention turned back to Tsunade, "Now before your seem to think that Sasuke wasn't in a right state of mind, I asked Hinata to undergo some simple memory interrogation with Inoichi Yamanaka, Konoha's personal mental specialist. Inoichi-san, do you mind sharing the results of that interrogation?"

"Of course Hokage-sama." Inoichi said as he rose to his feet. He took a scroll from his pouch with his results. "After a careful memory interrogation, I can significantly conclude that Sasuke Uchiha did engage combat with Hinata Hyuuga. She was a solid witness in Sasuke admitting that there was nothing left for him in Konoha, and that he would be leaving in search of more power. As a Konoha kunoichi, she felt it her duty to try and stop Sasuke from leaving, but was brutally injured by numerous kunai wounds, suffered a broken leg, and a Chidori in her shoulder. In the event of a trial, Hinata did say she would be willing to testify against Sasuke for the injuries." Murmurs rose in the council as the information was received. "One final note, Sasuke began his initial attack with the intention of leaving a message for Naruto Uzumaki. This is possibly due to the fact that Hinata considers Naruto a good friend and Sasuke capitalized on that." With that, he took his seat.

"Thank you Inoichi-san. Advisor Mitokado, do you have any comments?" asked the Godaime. "Please feel free to speak, the floor is yours."

"This is obviously some trick. The Hyuuga have always had bad ties with the Uchiha. What could be seen is a simple genjutsu. Someone obviously must have planted this. In addition, have the wounds of Sasuke been addressed? It was said that he received serious bruises, lacerations, broken bones, and a heavy wound in his shoulder." Homura stated. "From the reports of the mission, Naruto Uzumaki was the one to engage Sasuke. He obviously used excessive force!"

"How dare you question a loyal shinobi? Naruto Uzumaki was assigned a mission to bring back Sasuke Uchiha! He was following the mission parameters!" Tsume growled in contempt.

"Now now, calm down everyone." Tsunade retained order in the room to continue. "Advisor Mitokado makes a good point. Sasuke was returned with extensive injury, and Shikamaru's mission report is correct. Naruto was the one to engage Sasuke in combat." She had gotten tired of holding Koharu and released her, allowing the advisor to catch her breath. Two more ANBU appeared to escort the advisor to her seat. "However, Naruto Uzumaki was assigned a secondary mission in this retrieval." Tsunade took her seat at the head and pushed a scroll forward. "30 minutes before Naruto was set to leave on the retrieval mission, he was requested for an S-rank mission by Hiashi Hyuuga."

"An S-rank? Why request a Genin for an S-rank?" asked Shikaku Nara. "Wouldn't that be better to request the use of ANBU?"

"In most normal cases, it would." Hiashi spoke up. "However this request actually tied into Naruto's current mission."

"Hiashi, this is a bounty contract!" Chouza Akimichi was the first to read over the mission scroll.

"That it was. When I received news that Hinata had been heavily injured by Sasuke Uchiha, this was an official insult against the Hyuuga clan." Hiashi stated. "To injure a clan member is one thing, but to attack the heir can constitute much more. As such the Hyuuga clan asked Naruto to retrieve Sasuke at all costs…Dead or Alive."

"Hiashi, no clan has any authority to request such a mission!" Danzo rebuked. "That mission should have never been accepted!"

"You may be right Advisor Shimura." Tsunade replied calmly. "However at the time the request was made, Sasuke Uchiha had officially left the village of his own accord. Had he not attacked Hinata, the mission would have been null. But that's not the case now, is it? You see, the moment he laid one finger on Hinata out of anger and retribution, that immediately is grounds for restraint and disciplinary action. Couple that with leaving Konoha officially named Sasuke Uchiha a missing-nin and traitor."

"Naruto was well in his right to use whatever force necessary to return Sasuke Uchiha. As such upon completing the mission, he was well paid for his work and the Hyuuga clan plan to request his services in the future." Hiashi stated.

"Now at this time, as told by Naruto, he had spoken to Sasuke and tried to persuade the Uchiha into returning of his own will. Sasuke refused, stating that he would be going to Orochimaru, another known traitor of Konoha, for his own personal gain." Tsunade continued with the conversation, but was soon interrupted.

"That's a blatant lie! Sasuke has no reason to go to Orochimaru!" Koharu blurted out. "He was ranked the number one Genin in this year's class. This is just petty jealousy from Naruto!"

"Jealousy you say." Tsunade looked poised in thought. "You know, you're right. At one time Naruto was jealous of Sasuke. He was placed on a team that treated him with no respect at all. His teammates looked down on him and put him down. His sensei, the great Kakashi Hatake, even played favorites by focusing all of his training time on Sasuke alone. All so Konoha could have a strong wielder of the great Sharingan."

"Exactly! Therefore, any of this should be invalid against Sasuke." Koharu pleaded. "He needs to be released and allowed to resume his training."

"Training nothing. He needs to be ripped to shreds!" Tsume roared. "He is nothing but a worthless traitor! Naruto has shown nothing but fierce loyalty to this village from the day he put on the symbol of the Leaf."

"Tsume-san makes an excellent point." All eyes turned to the stoic Shibi Aburame. "Observation shows that while Sasuke is treated as royalty and elite, he expects others to do things for him. He expects to be taught by the strongest of Jounin and only learn the strongest of techniques."

"And what of Naruto, Aburame-san?" asked Tsunade.

"Naruto has shown that he will rise above adversity, and strive to be the best. Even though he is constantly shunned and looked down upon, his drive and will personify the true essence of the Will of Fire." Replied Shibi. "I believe this began to greatly show itself once Naruto began to work with other teams."

Tsunade opened up the floor again, "Observations, reflections?" No one commented, allowing her to continue. "Very well. Now on to the final bit of evidence. I assume you all know about the occurrence concerning the Kyuubi. We all know that over the years various clans wished to take in Naruto, in order to give him a good childhood. Of course I commend those clans, such as the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, and Nara clans. However for some ungodly reason, he was denied such a privilege." She turned her gaze to Danzo. "Advisor Shimura, please comment on this."

"What is to comment? The boy was some unknown orphan. Why should he soil the names of the great clans? In addition, we felt it best that he stay on his own. As a Jinchuuriki, his abilities could best be used if he could be properly controlled." Danzo stated. "Although we did fail with breaking him emotionally, he is shown to be loyal."

"I see. So apparently you all overrode Sarutobi-sensei in trying to uphold the final wishes of the Yondaime?" asked Tsunade. "Considering that Minato wanted this village, the village he gave his very life for, to view Naruto as hero like it should have happened. However you decided to spread those poisonous lies about him in order to break him."

"And what of it Tsunade? Why are we discussing the Uzumaki boy?" Koharu asked.

"Well, you didn't hear it from me, but the day Naruto decided to quit his team, he found out the secret." Everyone except for Hiashi froze. That was the one well kept secret that all of the older generation knew, but Naruto was to never know. "And you know how he found out? Seems a shy little Hyuuga was able to put one and one together and found out."

"Hiashi, do you know what your daughter has done?" Homura shouted out. "The boy was to never know about that until he was deemed ready?"

"True, but kids will be kids. They have curiosity. Besides, I doubt you would want to anger her when it comes to her future husband." Hiashi replied. "So I would advise that you start thinking about what will happen in the future. If there is one name this village respects, it's Namikaze. With the exception of Sasuke Uchiha, he felt that Naruto's heritage was a lie, and thus began to show signs of animosity and revenge when Naruto proved to be a better shinobi."

"But enough about Naruto. We can discuss him at a later date." Tsunade continued with the meeting. "Now as for Sasuke, the evidence is concurrent, and under the charter, he is to be executed. All in favor?" Tsunade saw everyone's hand raise, with the exception of Koharu and Homura. She was surprised to see even Danzo vote in favor of the execution. "Well, as the majority, the execution will take place in one week. As per the Bloodline Preservation Act, genetic material will be extracted and suitable volunteers will be chosen for the preservation."

"Tsunade, do you understand just what you are doing with this? If word gets out that Sasuke Uchiha is killed, the ramifications would be dire." Koharu tried to explain.

"Oh I'm very sure of the ramifications. I read the material quite well." Tsunade said as she turned to one of her ANBU. "Towa, please send a message to Weasel. I have important matters to discuss."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU known as Towa quickly vanished to carry out the mission.

"Weasel? But Weasel was said to have vanished over five years ago! How do you even know about that agent?" Danzo questioned.

"The Hokage knows all about the ANBU. And I know full well of Weasel. Now back to matters at hand. The execution will be in one week. Our next meeting will address Naruto and his knowledge. We shall convene in three days. Meeting adjourned." Tsunade closed the meeting as the order was done. In one week's time, Sasuke Uchiha would officially be executed.

* * *

Of course news wasn't something that would be kept secret, especially not from one blonde known as Ino Yamanaka. With all of the younger generation, she was normally the source for any new information about big things in the village. Especially after she caught wind of the news from the most recent council meeting from her parents talking. It's not that she was nosy…well she was, but she said it's part of her ninja training. And they say, news spreads like wildfire.

"So wait, let me get this straight?" Shikamaru scratched his head in confusion. "You saw Naruto and Hinata walking together, and out of nowhere she just kissed him?"

"I kid you not Shikamaru. Not only that, but my dad was talking about the council meeting he went to today. Apparently he heard that Hinata and Naruto are engaged." Ino added.

"Engaged? Since when?" Kiba asked in shock.

"I dunno. Dad didn't say much about that. Mostly all of the talk was about how they were planning to execute Sasuke." Ino replied.

"Serves him right." Kiba growled along with Akamaru. "He's nothing but a worthless traitor that deserves to die."

"That's obvious. I wanna find out more about Naruto and Hinata though." Ino started looking around the area. "Hey have you guys seen Neji? Maybe we can ask him?"

"Who knows? He's probably off training with Tenten again." Shikamaru replied with a sigh. "Whatever you do Ino, just don't make a nuisance of yourself."

Ino sent a snide look at her teammate, "Oh shut up Shikamaru."

* * *

Sakura had been keeping a distance while overhearing the conversation. The worst thing she heard was about the execution of Sasuke.

"So he's really going to be killed." She said to herself. "I can't believe they're going to do this to Sasuke-kun."

"**Even after all this time, you still address that traitor so friendly."** Inner Sakura said to her host. **"When are you going to wake up Sakura? This isn't your fairy tale world!"**

"But…but why? Why do they have to do this to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started crying over thinking about how bad the execution could be.

"**Do you want me to show you again? Why won't you just believe the proof! You went to the hospital and saw how badly Hinata was hurt. You saw Chouji, Kiba, and Neji. All of them were nearly killed because of Sasuke!"** Inner Sakura snapped back. **"You even saw the anger in Naruto's face when they left. He …"**

Sakura snapped forward, "Naruto…it's all Naruto's fault. That's right; he's the cause of this. If he didn't leave the team, none of this would have happened." Sakura was becoming frantic. The only thing on her mind was that Naruto was the source of her problems. "I'll find him and make him pay for this!"

"**Sakura, stop this!"** Inner Sakura's words went unheard as Sakura took off to find Naruto. The trip wasn't long as Naruto was at the training fields practicing while Hinata had gone home.

"Naruto!" The blonde turned to see Sakura in a crazed state. She was a mix between uncertain nervousness and frantic insanity.

"Oh, it's just you Sakura. What do you want?" he simply brushed her off like she wasn't important.

"All of this…it's your fault. You caused Sasuke-kun to be hurt. You're the one that drove him away. Because of you, he's going to be executed!" Sakura screamed.

Naruto heard her words and still acted like she wasn't important. "Good, the traitor is getting what's coming to him."

"Good? You think that's good?" Sakura took a kunai out and became more frantic. "Then why don't I make sure you get to be there to meet him!" She ran full speed at Naruto in her frantic state with the intent of killing him. Naruto knew she wasn't in the right state of mind and felt it was finally time that she understood what was going on. Before Sakura could even strike, Naruto knocked the kunai out of her hand and grabbed her by the neck. His eyes were red and feral as he stared hard at her.

"You listen to me and you listen good Sakura. Sasuke is a TRAITOR!!! He hurt Hinata-chan, the person that did all she could to help you stop him." Naruto roared, causing Sakura to shake in fear. "Because of him, Chouji, Neji, and Kiba almost died. Lee put himself at risk just to come help us stop Sasuke."

"But…that…" Sakura tried getting her words out but Naruto refused.

"But nothing Sakura! Do you want to know exactly what happened when I faced Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "I was ready to rip his head off when I met him at that valley. I was ready to tear his body to shreds for what he did to Hinata-chan." He threw Sakura to the ground hard and watched as she tried catching her breath. "But you know something; I've dealt with people calling me a monster and demon my whole life. I knew that if I killed Sasuke like that, people would keep calling me a monster and a demon. So I actually tried to persuade him to come back."

"Why Naruto? Why did you have to hurt him so badly?" Sakura was gasping for breath after Naruto's choke.

"Because he told me that it was all about killing his brother and getting revenge." Naruto said as he removed his jacket. "The only goal Sasuke had in life was to kill his older brother for what happened to his clan. He didn't care who he hurt, so long as he reached his goal." He finally removed his black shirt and faced Sakura. "Do you see this?" Naruto pointed to a faint scar on his chest. "This is where Sasuke slammed a Chidori in my chest and told me that I'll bow to the Uchiha like the rest of this pathetic world."

Sakura stared long at the scar, picturing the horrific moment. "Naruto…"

"Do you want to know what hurt me more when I faced him Sakura? When he told me that he took pleasure in nearly blinding Hinata-chan." Naruto replied as he put his shirt back on. "How would you feel if you never got to see everything, having your entire world be nothing but darkness? You could never see the smiling faces of the people that care about you, you could never watch sunsets with the one you love. Sasuke tried doing that to my best friend just because he was jealous of me."

"I…I…" Sakura was at a complete loss. She literally had nothing to say to Naruto.

"Sakura, I want to ask you something." Naruto said as he grabbed his jacket. "When you found out about me being the son of the Yondaime, you wanted to be my friend right?"

"Y-yes. Look Naruto…" Sakura stuttered out.

"Sakura, I'm going to be honest. I won't be your friend right now." He said as he left the girl to her thoughts. "In about three weeks, I'll be leaving on a long training journey for about two years or so. However if you prove to me that you can truly understand what it means to be a Leaf shinobi by the time I return, then maybe things can change. I do want to be your friend, but I think there is a lot you have to come to terms with before that can happen. Later Sakura."

As Naruto left, Sakura was still on her knees, lost in thought. She tried coming to terms with everything and the only thing she could say was…"Naruto…I'm sorry."

* * *

A few days passed and there was one day left before the fated execution. Sasuke had been kept in heavy confinement under constant ANBU watch. There were multiple seals to lock his chakra and neutralize his Sharingan. There had been no visitors allowed but on his last day, he received the most unlikely visitor.

"Come here to gloat in my face dobe?" Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto standing before him with Tsunade behind him.

"Actually Uchiha, Naruto asked to speak with you. Seeing as this is your last day, we thought it fitting you get one final visitor." Tsunade said as she walked out of the cell. "Naruto I'll be waiting when you finish."

"Thanks Baa-chan." Naruto replied. "And to answer you, I didn't come to gloat. I just want to know something."

"Like I'll help you with anything you loser." Sasuke spat out.

Naruto brushed it off and continued, "I just want to know…why? Why do I make you so angry?"

Sasuke looked up and stared hard at Naruto. "You want to know why? You're nothing but a no name loser that seems to get everything. I was the number one rookie of our class. I should have been the one to learn the jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll. I should have been the one that learned summoning and that Rasengan of yours."

"Sasuke, do you really believe that? Do you really understand what I had to endure just to even be able to get where I am?" Naruto asked. "Sasuke you say that all I am is a loser, someone at the bottom of the class. You know why I was done that way? It was this damn fox!"

"What about it? You have more power than you know. If anything I should have been the one to contain that power." Sasuke rebuked. "I should have been the Jinchuuriki."

"No Sasuke, you don't want this. You don't want a ravaging beast constantly telling you to release him and kill everyone. You don't want to resist the urges of letting the demon take control of you." Naruto said with a depressed tone. "You don't want eyes of hatred constantly staring at you every day you're alive. Tell me, when you first started the academy, what did you get to go home to? You got to go home to a family."

"What's that got to do with this? They're all dead anyway." Sasuke grumbled.

"While you got to go home to a family, I got to go home to death threats, assassination attempts, a destroyed home, poisoned food, and a paranoid sense that I may not wake up the next day." Naruto replied. "This power of mine…I wish I could get rid of it for good. No one deserves this curse."

"Ok Naruto, if you're so intent on questions, then answer this one. Why didn't you kill me back at the valley? You said that you weren't going to let me take the easy way out." Asked Sasuke.

"Even though I wanted to shove that final Rasengan in your face so many times, I brought you back in the hopes that maybe you could redeem yourself." Naruto told him. "But honestly, from the way you talk, I probably should have killed you."

"Like I told you Uzumaki, you're weak just like your pathetic girlfriend." Sasuke smirked back. "This entire village is nothing but weaklings."

In less than a second Naruto had Sasuke by the throat and up against the wall. He already had a clone making a Rasengan in his off hand. "Maybe I shouldn't let you be executed tomorrow. Maybe I should just finish the job I started at the Valley of the End right now!"

Sasuke's eyes glossed over with a view of insanity as he stared at Naruto. "Do it. Kill me like the demon you really are. Use that ultimate power of yours and spill my blood all over these walls." He was dangerously pushing Naruto to the edge and was doing everything he could to make him cross that line.

"No…I won't Sasuke." Naruto dispelled the Rasengan and released Sasuke. "Say what you want. I just hope you enjoy your last night Sasuke. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to be with your family again in the next life." There were no more words said as Naruto bid his final farewell to his former friend and teammate.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is it! You wanted the execution well...hope it doesn't make a lot of you sick or something.**

The next day cast a dark cloud over Konoha. In a secluded area of the forest, final preparations were made for the execution of Sasuke Uchiha. The entire council attended, and by request of Tsunade, the Konoha 11 was asked to be there as well. As Tsunade did not force them to attend, out of the small traces of respect did they show up for the final minutes of their former comrade. The only person not to show up was Sakura. They all watched on as Sasuke was brought before them. What was different was that a strange looking seal was on Sasuke's forehead.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are here to answer for the crime of treason against Konoha. Do you have any last words before your sentence of death is carried out?" Tsunade asked as Sasuke was bound to a large wooden pole.

"You weak fools don't deserve my last words." Sasuke said proudly. "I hope this village burns to the ground for what it did to my clan!"

"Very well. As per the charter of Konoha, for the charges of attempted murder, conspiracy with a known enemy, and treason; Sasuke Uchiha you have been condemned to death. As such, your death will be carried out as an example. Letting you die quickly is too good for you Uchiha. To prove this, the seal upon your head is a modified version of the Hyuuga's Caged Bird seal. As it was the former heiress you attacked, the clan demanded retribution. This seal is designed to slowly destroy your mind and once it's activated, it cannot be stopped." Tsunade explained. "Hiashi, activate the seal."

"Of course Hokage-sama." Hiashi held up one hand and triggered the seal. In a split second, the seal began to glow, sending untold pain through Sasuke's body. The council was steadfast, but a few of the Konoha 11, especially Hinata cringed at the moment of the seal activation.

"Now now Sasuke, we're only getting started." Tsunade said as Shizune came up to her with a large jar of clear fluid. "It's only fitting that we not lose that precious Sharingan of yours. Our medical staff will have a great time finding out what makes this bloodline so special." Her hands were covered in a green aura as she placed them around his eye sockets. "Hope you enjoy the last picture of your eyes being ripped out of your head." She applied pressure around the sockets, causing the eyes to bulge forward. Taking care not to damage the eyes, she pulled them out, severing the nerves and tissue connecting them. She then placed the two eyes into the jar for preservation. "Shizune take these to the hospital for immediate examination."

"Of course Tsunade-sama." Shizune quickly took off to her destination as Sasuke's screams were louder and blood began to drip from the empty eye sockets. This began to turn some uneasiness in the rookies.

"Ok, I don't think I'll be eating anymore." Chouji quickly put away his potato chips while Ino was hiding behind him from the sheer gruesome act she just witnessed. Hinata had latched on to Naruto and quickly buried her face into his chest, hoping not to see a constant image of the brutal scene. Tenten and Kiba were doing their best just to keep from throwing up.

"Come now Sasuke, we're not even half done." Tsunade snapped her finger and two ANBU appeared. "Now we'll be introducing you to the basics of Ninjutsu; the five basic elements. You're well acquainted with fire, so there's no need. But let us start with the element fire is strong against, wind." She nodded to the first ANBU that unleashed a jutsu of sharp cutting wind blades to cause massive lacerations all over Sasuke. "We continue the circle, with lightning." The second ANBU had a palm encased in lightning. It could almost be similar to Kakashi's Raikiri, but was much different. The ANBU touched the lightning palm onto Sasuke, flooding his body with heavy electricity. "We still have two more Uchiha…now you'll learn about earth nature." The ANBU summoned two pillars of earth that began to smash into Sasuke, allowing the sounds of cracking and breaking bones to be heard among his screams. "Now Sasuke, would you like some cooling water to refresh you?" Two whips of water were formed as the ANBU began to savagely whip Sasuke, ripping parts of flesh away from his destroyed body. "And now we come to the end, the famed element all Uchiha know; fire. But don't think that we're just going to completely incinerate you. No that would be too easy." The ANBU sent controlled bursts of flame to the areas of ripped and torn flesh, allowing the flames to slowly cook parts of his body. The acrid smell of burning flesh was rampant in the area. Kiba was immediately at a bush, throwing up while his mother cringed from the acrid smell. The ANBU vanished back into the shadows with their task complete.

"_I think I just lost my appetite for the next few days._" Naruto thought to himself as Hinata continued to stay close to him for comfort.

"_I don't think even Chouji could want to eat after this."_ Shikamaru thought as well.

Tsunade paced slowly around the nearly destroyed Uchiha while his screams continued. Sasuke's body was bruised, battered, broken, torn, burned, ripped, and shredded. "Oh the mighty Sasuke Uchiha. Ye who said he deserved everything for nothing. What have you got to say now?" Sasuke tried to utter one word, but Tsunade was not about to let him. She grabbed his tongue and forcefully ripped it out of his mouth, throwing it behind her. It landed just a few feet before the Konoha 11, sending Kiba to the bushes, now joined by Chouji and Shikamaru, and put both Ino and Tenten on the ground unconscious from fainting. Even the council cringed at the site of sheer brutality the Hokage was inflicting. It definitely changed their perspective of her when it came to traitors.

"Well Uchiha, there is nothing left. As Godaime Hokage, I end this." Tsunade immediately summoned Katsuyu and looked down upon the traitor. "May your black soul burn in the pits of hell. Katsuyu, finish this."

"Of course Tsunade-sama. ZESSHI NENSAN! (Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid)" Katsuyu released a wave of concentrated acid upon the post that Sasuke was bound to. Everything in its wake was melted to the ground, leaving a pool of acid that continued to eat into the ground. And at that moment, Sasuke Uchiha was erased from existence.

* * *

**Thus Sasuke Uchiha has been erased from existence, Tsunade shows that she doesn't take lightly to traitors, and Sakura now has to understand that her world isn't some fairy tale and that Sasuke won't be coming to save her. And what's this about Weasel? Is this some legendary ANBU that's been missing in action, or on a secret mission that only the Hokage knows about? Only time will tell....**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go knock some sense into Bijuu Wars Sasuke because apparently he still thinks everyone hates him for some reason. Later everyone!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Kasumi: Ok I thought it was bad the last time I came in here. Where are all these reviews coming from?

Neokenshin: Dunno. As of right now, this story has already gotten more hits than Bijuu Wars. I guess everyone really does like the real deal.

Kasumi: Wait, does this mean I'm gonna be out of a job! I'm still trying to save up for college you know!

Neokenshin: Of course not. Like I said, you guys are on extended vacation till I get more ideas. But honestly, I gotta say, I love that this is so popular. I hope this chapter doesn't take away from the more serious sides earlier.

Kasumi: Why you say...oh yeah. This one does seem a little lighter. Guess it was because of the execution last chapter.

Neokenshin: Yeah, that and I get to pull a sneaky move this time. Well everyone, You know who owns Naruto, and enjoy the chapter!! And remember...sometimes a weasel is sneakier than you think.

* * *

Chapter 9

Things were starting to calm down after the execution of Sasuke Uchiha. Not much had been said from the Konoha 11 as they all carried on with their lives. The loss of the Sharingan had started to fade as people carried on day to day.

"Tsunade-sama, I have the new reports for you." Shizune presented a folder to the Godaime. "We've selected the appropriate volunteers for the Sharingan Restoration Program."

"Hmm, each a respectable Chuunin or Jounin, well liked in the community, very secure." Tsunade looked over the prospective candidates. "Excellent Shizune. Go ahead and schedule interviews for next week."

"Of course Tsunade-sama." Shizune replied as she was about to leave.

"Shizune, one more thing. After you leave, seal the door. No one is to enter my office for the next hour." Tsunade said as she continued to look over reports.

Shizune looked a little intrigued, "As…you wish Tsunade-sama." Shizune quickly left and sealed the door, locking in Tsunade for the next hour.

"Now then, maybe we can begin." Tsunade placed the reports down. "It's good to have you back Weasel." Out of the shadows appeared a fully geared ANBU with a Weasel mask, covered with a brown cloak. "I take it your mission is going well."

"It is Hokage-sama." Weasel bowed in respect to greet Tsunade. "I bring you new information." Weasel handed over a scroll that Tsunade would look over. "I have also heard of the news in the village. Sasuke Uchiha is a confirmed execution, I presume?"

"Quite correct. Based on comparisons with Sarutobi-sensei's notes, Sasuke became consumed with the same lust for power and revenge as his family. He tried defection to Orochimaru, but was stopped by Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade replied. "Shame too. He had potential. All that wasted because he wanted to get revenge for his clan, instead of restoring the honor to the Uchiha."

"Revenge for power can almost always lead to death and destruction." Weasel nodded in agreement.

"Wise as ever. Now as for summoning you here, I have a request." Tsunade took out a different looking ANBU mask and gave it to Weasel. "Your orders are to deliver a message."

"I see. Do you feel that there will be any problems from Crow?" Weasel asked while looking at the crow shaped mask.

"None. You and Crow are in a completely different league than the other ANBU. Both of you have sacrificed more than enough for this village. The past Hokages would be proud." Tsunade replied. "Also give this to Crow as well."

"Pentahydrothamine? Have things progressed into the next stage?" asked Weasel as Tsunade handed over a vial of pills.

"They have. However the message will explain more to Crow." Tsunade said when she noticed Weasel stare hard at the vial. That's when the mask came off.

"Tsunade-shishou, is there nothing else we can do for Itachi-kun?" Behind the mask revealed a woman of about 24 years, with brown hair and two purple rectangles on her face.

"Unfortunately Rin-chan, Itachi's disease seems to be mutative. I've done continuous research for a cure since I've arrived in Konoha, but all I can do right now is prolong it." Tsunade explained. "We do have another option, but that would be the ultimate option for Itachi."

Rin knew what Tsunade was talking about, "The Mangekyo Sharingan."

"We have Sasuke's eyes fully preserved. After Itachi explained about the Eternal Mangekyo with the information he gathered from Madara, we agreed that would be the absolute last resort. But it all fell on Sasuke. If Sasuke didn't fall to the corruption and power of wanting to get revenge so brutally, then we wouldn't be faced with this." Tsunade said with a grievous sigh. "His brother meant everything to him and he wanted Sasuke to grow up to be the redeemer of the Uchiha clan."

"Honestly if Minato-sensei had been alive, that whole coup would have ended without Itachi-kun getting involved at all." Rin growled.

"I know what you mean. But for now, return to your mission and get the info to Itachi. I've explained in his orders that periodically he will be engaging Naruto and Jiraiya under his ANBU guise to assist with Naruto's training. Other than that, he is to continue spying on Akatsuki and periodically update." Tsunade said. "And Rin-chan, one last thing before you go."

"Yes Tsunade-shishou?" Rin asked as she was putting her mask on.

"Kakashi hasn't stopped thinking about you since the day your death was faked. I know you made the ultimate sacrifice when Minato asked you become an ANBU Splinter Cell, but I felt you should know about him."

"Thank you Shishou. I do miss him every single day, but we are forever in two different worlds. Until the next time. You know how to reach me." With that, Rin a.k.a Weasel vanished without a trace.

* * *

In a different part of Konoha, Hinata was back at the hospital to have another follow up to her corrective eyesight surgery. She hadn't tried using her Byakugan since her injury, but she was told that today she would get the final assessment on her Kekkei Genkai.

"Alright Hinata, we just have one more test to do, and we'll figure out what we can do for you." Shizune finished writing some notes in a file and took out a special circular blinder. It looked like a black lampshade that seemed to have opening and closing slides all around. She placed it on top of Hinata's head as she opened some slides. "Alright I want you to activate your Byakugan and tell me what you can see. I'll move the slides to see if how much your vision is affected."

Hinata did as asked and activated her Byakugan. Shizune began taking notes of each open slide and came to the last test. Hinata was feeling more nervous over all the notes each time Shizune wrote something.

"Ok, now the last test. I've released a seal that should let you see outside as well. There are distance markers set up specifically for Hyuuga clan members. I want you to locate the farthest marker you can clearly and tell me the distance."

"O-ok." Hinata searched for the farthest marker, but each time she saw one, it was blurry. The only one that was clear was the marker closest to the area. "The clearest one is 30 meters." She felt bad because she could normally see at least 200 meters.

Shizune finished up the notes and overlooked everything. "Well Hinata, the surgery went ok for you. Your regular vision is ok, but for certain things you will have difficulty seeing. As for your Byakugan, it has been seriously weakened and you probably won't be able to extend your range without damaging your eyes."

"W-what does this mean Shizune-san?" Hinata was afraid there was more bad news.

"Well, you'll need glasses. They won't be permanent, but from time to time you will need to wear them." Shizune replied. Hinata almost felt like her world was about to shatter. All she could see was images of herself with big round lenses over her eyes. Though she never showed it, she was actually afraid of how she would look. "Wait…Hinata are you actually afraid of wearing glasses?" Hinata tried to play it off but Shizune saw right through it. "You really are? That is so cute!"

"But w-what will Naruto-kun say?" Hinata was really letting this get to her. She really felt Naruto would say something about her look.

"Naruto's not that shallow. He won't care how you look. He likes you for who you are Hinata." Shizune said as she led Hinata out of the exam room. "Besides, who said you have to wear some huge lenses." Shizune pointed to a wall of multiple sized frames, from small to large, simple to contemporary. "Pick any one you like and we'll get the lenses made. Plus you'd only need them if you were reading or something. Otherwise you don't have to wear them."

"I g-guess so." Hinata said as she began looking at frames. "Um, Shizune-san, how will this affect me on missions?"

"Well, seeing as how you are on a scouting and tracking team, it will heavily hinder your team's performance." Shizune replied with a serious tone. "Tsunade-sama may have to re-organize the teams until we can figure something out to help you."

"I understand." Hinata sighed as she continued to look until she found the frames she wanted. She handed them to Shizune and was told to come back in an hour. Feeling depressed about her situation, Hinata made her way through town. She did notice there were things that were not as clear as they used to be, but she knew this was now her fate. After getting her arm out of the sling she had been in for two weeks, she could finally use her other arm, but it was very limited. She was restricted from Jyuuken training for two more weeks and that left her with not much to do. She would watch Naruto train from time to time and she took more time to study up on various home arts. Even though she couldn't confirm that she would be married to Naruto in a few years, she still felt that she should learn some other skills as well. As she was walking in thought, she passed by the flower shop where Naruto and Ino were in conversation.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto called out to her. Hinata was shaken out of her daze when she heard her beloved's voice.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She walked in to find out what was happening. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much. Ino-chan was helping me with some tips for the flowers I planted earlier." Naruto said. "Hey you said you like flower pushing or something like that, right?"

"Naruto, it's flower pressing. And yes it is one of her hobbies." Ino butted in. "And don't ask how I know, I just do."

"Ok, so flower pressing. While we're here, did you want to get some flowers?" He hoped she would enjoy having some new flowers since she was healing more and he thought it would make her smile. Naruto did notice that Hinata didn't seem like herself though. "Is something wrong Hinata-chan?"

Hinata didn't want to tell Naruto about her exam and tried to come up with a cover story. "N-no, nothing's wrong. Everything's fine Naruto."

Both Naruto and Ino knew something was definitely wrong now. Hinata never addressed Naruto without a suffix. "Ok Hinata, something is wrong. You might as well tell us because we both know you're lying."

"I'm s-s-serious. There's nothing w-wrong." Hinata stammered out.

"Hinata…you said 'Naruto', not 'Naruto-kun' just now. Ever since I've known that you like the blonde knucklehead here, you have always called him Naruto-kun." Ino said with a piercing glare. "So spill it girl."

Hinata knew she was in a corner but couldn't bear to tell the situation, so the only thing she did was run. "Hinata-chan, wait!" Naruto tried to stop her but she took off too fast.

"Naruto, what are you waiting for? We have to help her." Ino threw off her apron and ran out as well. "Come on!"

"Right behind you Ino!" Naruto followed suit as the two blondes began chase. They saw Hinata in the distance and saw she was headed back to the hospital. After a short pursuit, Naruto and Ino arrived, hoping to find Hinata.

"Why'd she come to the hospital? Naruto, do you know anything?" Ino asked as she looked around the lobby.

"No way. Unless she hurt her arm again, she seemed ok." Naruto was also looking as well when Shizune ran into the two.

"Naruto, Ino, what's going on?" asked the medic.

"We're looking for Hinata. She came to the flower shop and looked like something was wrong. We tried to help her but she just ran off." Ino explained. "She was running here, but we don't know where she went."

Shizune looked at the clock, "Well it has been an hour already. She was probably coming back to pick up her glasses."

"Glasses?" Both Naruto and Ino jumped for a second.

Shizune let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, apparently Hinata was afraid of what you might say about her Naruto."

"Why would I say anything?" asked Naruto.

Ino just sighed at Naruto's obliviousness. "Naruto, there's not a girl alive that gets self conscious about how they look sometimes. Especially when it's around a boy they love."

"So, what's that got to do with anything?" Naruto still didn't get it at all.

Both Shizune and Ino sighed this time, "Naruto, do you ever remember how Sakura got around Sasuke sometimes? Remember how she'd always ask if she looked pretty and stuff like that?"

"Uh, I think so." Naruto thought hard and a few images popped up.

"Well, Hinata's having one of those moments. This is pretty big, and she probably feels that she won't be pretty to you anymore." Ino explained. "That's probably why she ran off like that."

Naruto still looked dumbfounded, "That's just stupid! Why should she care about something like that? I mean she looks perfectly fine. I don't see why she'd get so freaked out about something like that."

"Y-you really think so N-Naruto-kun?" Everyone turned to see Hinata peek out from behind one of the sofas in the waiting area. "Y-you really don't care?"

"Heck no! Why should I worry about something stupid like that? You're already one of the coolest girls I know. You got some serious jutsu skill, and make those awesome healing creams and stuff." Naruto said. "Plus you don't care about being one of those superf…superfick…superflo…"

"Superficial?" Ino answered for him.

"What's that again?" asked Naruto. Ino just slapped her forehead after that.

"It means she isn't obsessed with her looks." Ino sighed.

"Uh yeah, that. So I don't see what the big deal is anyway? I mean doesn't Shino wear glasses?" Naruto added in.

"Those are sunglasses Naruto. Eyeglasses are different." Ino really wondered how someone like Naruto could be _that_ dense!

"Yeah, what she said." Naruto finished with a smile. "I mean you're cuter than Sakura, so I don't see any problem."

Hinata began to feel a bit better…somewhat…after what Naruto said. If he really didn't care about how she looked, then maybe it wouldn't be that bad. She came from behind the sofa and figured, take the plunge. "O-ok Naruto-kun. Shizune-san, are they finished?"

"I have them right here Hinata." Shizune took the glasses out of the case. "Let me make sure they're comfortable on you." She did a few measurements and adjustments. After that she presented Hinata to Naruto and Ino. "Well, how do they look?" The frames were light lavender in color, and had small oval lenses that perfectly hugged her face. Because the lenses were small, they didn't take away from her natural look and actually accented her pale eyes.

Naruto stared for a few minutes while Ino immediately reacted, "Hinata, those look really good on you! I think they help bring out your eye color. Naruto what do you think?"

"Think about what? It's still Hinata-chan with some glasses on." Naruto really was clueless. "I mean she still is the same Hinata-chan. Was she supposed to turn into someone new?"

"No you idiot! You're supposed to tell her how she looks with the glasses on!" Ino retorted back. "Does she look cute, does she look smart, does she look sophisticated…stuff like that."

"Uh Ino, she already is all that stuff." That put Ino on the floor in grief.

"Hinata, how do you put up with this idiot?" Ino grumbled.

"So I l-look ok to you Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked while she poked her fingers together.

"Yeah I mean you're still always gonna be Hinata-chan, no matter what." Naruto said without a care in the world. "But Ino's right. It does kinda bring out your eye color."

Hinata felt overwhelmed with emotion and started blushing, "Thank you N-Naruto-kun!"

"So hey, you guys hungry? I could go for a big bowl of ramen right now." Naruto tuned his thoughts to his next meal.

"Ugh, why not." Ino groaned. _"Seriously, Naruto is a complete idiot around girls. I will admit though, at least he was being honest. Woulda been nice if Sasuke had been like that before he went all power hungry and revenge crazy."_

"Then Ichiraku, here we come!" Naruto cheered as he walked out the doors. Hinata just giggled and Ino sighed as they followed behind.

* * *

Time continued to pass as Hinata began to adjust to her new glasses. It was a shock for her at first, but she received many compliments for them. Naruto on the other hand acted like it wasn't a major change, because he still felt Hinata was still the same person with or without them. But the days continued to draw on and it was one day before Naruto would be setting out on his journey with Jiraiya. The last thing he wanted to do before he left was to find the resting place of his parents. Tsunade told him where Minato's grave was, but she was unable to locate Kushina's.

"So where are we going Naruto-kun?" Hinata was following Naruto through some trees near the training areas.

"I wanted to see someone before I leave tomorrow." Naruto said as he led the way to a clearing in the forest. There was a large stone with the emblem of the Leaf and in front of it were four headstones. "Looks like we're here."

"W-what is this place Naruto-kun?" She looked carefully at the headstones and noticed the names. "Is this the resting place for the Hokages?"

"Yeah." Naruto said as he walked over to the fourth stone. "Baa-chan said this was a place that people could come and pay respects here. I know it's crazy, but I wanted to come talk to my dad before I left."

"It's n-not crazy Naruto-kun." Hinata replied. "I still visit my mother's grave every week when I'm not on a mission."

"Hmm, I should go with you sometime when I come back." Naruto said as he bowed his head in respect to say a quiet prayer. Hinata did the same, paying her respects as well. What the two didn't know is that a visitor had joined them.

"Forgive me, I hope I didn't disturb you." Naruto and Hinata turned to see a woman with a hooded cloak. They nodded their heads as the woman went to pay her respects as well. "I just didn't think I'd find someone else here."

"I wanted to come say goodbye to someone before I leave on a journey." Naruto answered.

"That's always good. Forgive me for my rudeness." The woman pulled her hood back, revealing her face and long red hair. "My name is Shina. I come here sometimes to see Minato."

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki. This is my fiancée Hinata Hyuuga. So, you knew my dad?" asked Naruto.

Shina simply smiled, "I did. I never knew Minato had a son at all. But now that I look at you, I can see so much of him."

"Then you knew what kind of person he was. I heard he was one of the best ninja around." Naruto said in excitement.

"He was. Minato was a very powerful and skilled ninja. But that was only a part of his true ability." Shina kneeled down and placed her hand upon Minato's headstone. "His real strength came from how he brought out the best in all of the villagers and everyone around him. Minato always did what he could to help everyone be the best they could."

"You're like that too Naruto-kun." Hinata added in.

"You sure? I never really thought I was." Naruto replied. "I just felt that you should never give up in what you do, no matter what anyone says."

"Hinata is right. There wasn't a time that Minato wouldn't give it his all for his friends, family, and village. It was a very sad day when he died. Many feel there will never be another person like him." Shina said quietly. "But in looking at you Naruto, I believe you could be just like him."

Naruto just scratched his head, "Well, thanks, I guess."

Shina rose and placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I already see you have a priceless treasure just from the way Hinata looks at you. Treasure her always Naruto. Those are the things that truly make a ninja strong." She turned her gaze to Hinata next, "Hinata, your eyes already show loyalty, compassion, and love for Naruto. Use those bonds you share with him to build a strong pillar of support."

"Um, ok." Naruto said as he looked at Hinata. She just blushed as she smiled back at him.

"Then I wish you success on your journey Naruto. May you grow strong in mind, body, and spirit." Shina bowed and replaced her hood, walking into the forest.

"_A priceless treasure, huh?"_ Naruto let those words ring through as he looked at Hinata. _"She really is one. If it wasn't for her, I don't know if I would even still be here in Konoha."_

"Naruto-kun, are you ok?" Hinata saw he was in thought and wondered what he could be thinking about.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey you wanna go get something to eat? We always do ramen, so I'll let you pick." Naruto asked.

"That would be n-nice Naruto-kun." Hinata replied as the two turned to head back to the village. For about 30 seconds they walked in silence, when Naruto moved his hand and took hold of Hinata's.

"I…saw you looked a little nervous." Naruto told her while he scratched his head with his other hand. "I figured you'd feel a little better if I were closer."

Hinata slightly blushed, "T-thank you Naruto-kun."

"Um, Hinata-chan, do you remember when I said I didn't know anything about love and all that?" asked Naruto. She nodded in agreement to him. "Well, I think I'm starting to learn a just a little bit." He solidified his grip on her hand, letting her feel the secure lock from his fingers. "I won't be able to give you a solid answer right now, but I promise that when I come home…I'll have a full answer for you."

"It's ok Naruto-kun. I'll still be there for you no matter what you decide." Hinata replied.

* * *

The two continued through the forest, not knowing they were being watched by their new acquaintance.

"You've become a wonderful young man my son." Shina said to herself. "I know you will become a strong man just like your father. I can't tell you how proud I am of you. Just know that your mother will always be watching over you. I love you so much Naruto."

"Minato would be so proud of him Kushina." Shina, or better yet Kushina, turned to see Hiruzen Sarutobi behind her, smiling. "His Will of Fire is stronger than anyone I've ever seen in this village. Naruto is destined to do a lot of good in the world."

"I pray he'll be happy with Hinata-chan. But I guess that's all a mother really wants for her son." Kushina said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"You need not worry. He's in the best hands ever Kushina." Hiruzen replied. "He's in the best hands ever."

Kushina knew he was right. Her own instincts told her that Naruto couldn't be in better hands than Hinata's. Her heart felt warm as she realized that even though she couldn't do anything for him, she could always watch him. "You're right Sarutobi-sama. I guess I don't have to worry about him, but I'm his mother so…it's my job." She just smiled as she and Hiruzen walked into the forest, fading into nothingness.

* * *

**Ok this chapter felt a little weird, because I mean the last few were so much more dark and serious. I tried to lighten this one up, and add a little bit of small humor as well to change things after the execution. Now tell me this...I bet there was NO ONE that ever saw Weasel NOT being Itachi coming. NarutoWiki does say that Rin is Presumed Deceased...and parts say Kakashi saying that everyone of his teammates were dead, and from the conversation he had with his father in the Pein fight, he says that he failed to protect Rin. Thus...he could never know that her death may have been faked.**

**As for the part with Kushina, yes she is dead. But I have heard that sometimes people get spiritual visits and stuff like that. Well, what's to say a mother can't do that for her son. All Naruto knows is that his mother's name is Kushina, but he's never seen a picture of her. He's only been told stories about her from Hiashi. Therefore, he'd never know he was looking at his own mother there.**

**Ahh well, next chapter will be the departure and probably end the pre-time skip section. I'm still debating on whether or not to do a chapter or two during the training, or go straight to the Shippuuden storyline afterwards. But, that'll be next time. Still, thanks so much for supporting this story with all of your reviews, adds, alerts. This is well on its way to becoming my most popular story, but I'm glad everyone likes it.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N Just so no one's confused, the intros are always done by the cast of The Bijuu Wars.)

Naruto: Wow, that was a twist! Didn't think you'd have my mom show up like that at the end. Heh, and I gotta say Hinata-chan does look cute with those glasses.

Neokenshin: Glad you like em. Plus I gotta say, it's been like what, a month and this story has took off like a rocket! I dunno what it is, but you readers love it, and for that, I gotta say thanks! Oh hey, look who FINALLY got over everything.

Sasuke: Go easy on me ok. I finally get it, they're not mad at me.

Naruto: Gee ya think! We said that somewhere around chapter 6 or something!

Sasuke: Guess I'm not used to seeing myself as an evil guy again. It's been 3 years with Neokenshin's stories and I've always been a good guy.

Naruto: Yeah yeah, whatever. You're still an evil jerk in the real manga, so just be happy people like you right now! So let's get this thing started! Masashi Kishimoto owns the Naruto bunch, but like EVERYONE knows that. Enjoy everyone!

* * *

Chapter 10

Naruto overlooked his apartment one last time. It would be the last time he would see his home for the next two or three years. His mind thought back to everything that has happened to him in the past year. From becoming a Genin, the mission in Wave, the Chuunin Exams, the battle against Neji and Gaara, his trip with Jiraiya to find Tsunade…and then the day that changed his life forever, the day he found out he was the son of the Yondaime and that Hinata loved him.

"Hard to believe so much has happened." Naruto was folding up his bedding to put it away for storage. While he was gone, both Ino and Hinata volunteered to check up on his apartment to make sure there was no dust building up, and to throw out any old food as well. Ino said she'd even make sure his flowers were watered and tended to as well.

As he was finishing up, the pictures on his desk kept reminding him of his life. The first was the picture of Team 7. "Sasuke, I still don't get it. You had everything but you threw it all away. Maybe if I had done something else, maybe you wouldn't have fallen into that lust for power and revenge so badly." All he could do is sigh, knowing that the events of the past could not be changed. That was where the second picture came in. Apparently Ino was a bit of a paparazzi herself, managing to sneak in a picture of Naruto giving Hinata a hug after she got her cast and sling removed. He was so happy for her that she never even saw it coming. So it was him with a big cheesy grin and she was looking shocked, confused, and blushing at the same time!

"Who would have thought you would be the one that started all of this Hinata-chan. There's so much I've learned and discovered because of you." He thought back to his promise the day before, as the two were leaving his father's grave. "I promise I'll have your answer by then Hinata-chan, I just need more time to learn." He knew that she would be waiting his answer. Would he be able to return the love she had given him? Naruto explained that he still didn't know much about falling in love or if he did love Hinata, but he showed he was willing to learn and find out. Finally finishing, he did one last check in his apartment to make sure everything was in order then grabbed his backpack and headed out. Hinata and Ino already had spare keys so he didn't need to hide his own key. As he locked the door, he smiled one last time before setting out on his journey. There were a few things in the village he needed to take care of before he left.

* * *

Hinata was watching as Neji was doing some light sparring with her sister Hanabi. Since she had given up the title of Heir, she felt that a huge pressure had been lifted from her. Even though it was caused by the elders being so harsh to her and being a pain to Hiashi, She always felt that her place was not as a clan leader. Since then, she took note to focus more on how she would be helping Naruto in the future and on her medical studies and training.

"That's enough for today Hanabi-sama. You're doing much better with your stances." Neji said as the two stopped. "You still need to work more on your speed and control."

"Thank you Neji-nii-san" Hanabi bowed in respect as she did view him as part teacher as well. "I'll focus more on that for our next session."

"Hinata-sama, did you have any observation you wish to address?" Neji turned to the former heiress for her opinion.

"N-no I didn't see anything wrong." Hinata replied. "Hanabi-chan looked very good."

Both Neji and Hanabi knew her mind was elsewhere. Since it was the day Naruto was leaving, Hinata had done everything she could to cover up the fact that she wouldn't be seeing him for almost three years. "Hinata-sama, it is ok. We know you are focusing on other matters currently. You need not pressure yourself." Neji told her. "However I do believe Hiashi-sama wished to see you this morning. You should tend to his message."

"Of course." Hinata quickly took off towards Hiashi's office, leaving her sister and cousin behind.

"It's hard to believe that a brash, loudmouth idiot could change her so greatly." Neji said to himself, forgetting that Hanabi was still there.

"So what's the big deal with this Naruto anyway? Wasn't he the one that beat you at the Chuunin Exams?" asked the young heiress.

"He was. But he didn't just defeat me. He helped me truly see what is valuable." Neji replied. "It's strange. We of the Hyuuga clan possess the most powerful eyes in existence, able to see so much. Yet Naruto's vision is clearer, and he was able to see something that not even the Byakugan could see at the time."

"What's that?" Hanabi seemed intrigued by his words.

"Naruto is able to see the real person inside. Outward appearances don't exist to him. And because of this, his actions and words are able to make a person see that reality. That in turn causes change. Whether that person wants to accept that change is up to them." Neji replied. "Had he not made me see that I am not a caged bird and that my destiny is not set in stone, I may have been forever sentenced to a life of hatred and resentment towards the Main House."

"So that's why Hinata-chan is so different around him?" Hanabi asked.

"That she is. If not for Naruto, Hinata-sama may have never found her true self and her true calling." Neji answered. "I do know this…my destiny may not be set, but I believe Hinata-sama's destiny is. I believe she is destined to achieve great things at Naruto's side. I believe there may be a change in our own family in the future as well and it will be a good day."

Hanabi just let the words soak in as she thought more about Naruto. She had only seen him periodically but never spoke to him. Most times she only saw him for a few minutes as she was off to other training or studies. It made her think that he had to be a good person if he made her sister so happy.

* * *

As for Hinata, she entered her father's study, hoping to find out what she asked of him.

"Hinata, good. I've been waiting for you." Hiashi took note that in the past month after she was declared engaged to Naruto, she seemed more relaxed and in good spirits. This was most likely due to the fact that she no longer held the burden of being the heiress anymore and was not pressured by the elders. "There is something important I wish to discuss with you."

"What is it Otou-sama?" asked the former heiress.

"I believe that we may have a way to turn your problem into benefit." Hiashi told his daughter. "I want you to look at this." Hiashi presented a scroll to Hinata.

"Oh ok." Hinata began to read, "I don't understand. These are Byakugan techniques."

"That they are. But these techniques were considered obsolete because the clan felt it would not allow us to keep our superiority. The clan focuses on range, extending sight to locate our enemies." Hiashi explained. "The techniques I have shown you are for concentrating your focal vision with your Byakugan. As you know, our eyes allow us to see the chakra network. However long ago our clan also had the ability of perfect x-ray sight. They were not only able to see the chakra network, but could clearly see internal organs in the human body and could see through the thickest of fogs and strongest of barriers. In addition, those eyes could be focused to see minute details. Instead of telescopic range, you would have somewhat macroscopic sight." Hiashi walked over and began to point things out. "These eyes were very useful in the eyes of a well trained shinobi. However our clan has since long forgotten the use of focused sight because it reduced the range that a Hyuuga could see, and our family has felt that longer range was more important."

"So this will help me? But I can't go past 30 meters with my Byakugan. If I do it could damage my eyes." Hinata admitted, feeling as if she was bringing more disgrace to the clan.

"That may be true Hinata, but you've proven that your role is not as a standard tracker. With your training from Hokage-sama, you will become quite an accomplished medic. And with the ability to see the organs themselves in addition to the chakra network, you may be able to save many lives." Hiashi told his daughter. "I think this will benefit you more than any Hyuuga it did before. Mind you, the training will be difficult, but I believe that combined with your level of chakra control and ability, you will become an amazing shinobi."

Hinata thought about what she could do if she learned to harness her Kekkei Genkai in such a way. She thought about how she could use it to help her team and what it would do for her in the future. She even thought about how it could help Naruto as well. "I'll do it. Naruto-kun is going to get stronger and I'll do the same for him."

"_Minato, that kid of yours is something. Three months and he's helped turn my little girl in a brand new direction."_ Hiashi thought to himself. _"Wonder how things will change when he gets back."

* * *

_

"You know, I'm really gonna miss this ramen." Naruto had just finished off another bowl at Ichiraku's.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'll definitely be glad to treat you to a bowl when you come back home." Naruto had met up with his former teacher Iruka just before he would be leaving out. "It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been a year and now you're setting out on a journey with one of the Sannin."

"I didn't believe it myself. I always knew I wanted to be a great ninja and Hokage, but I never would have known that there was more to my life." Naruto thought hard as he looked at the empty bowl. "I know Ero-sennin will definitely make me better. Part of me though…"

"Part of you wishes that Sasuke never fell down the path of darkness as he did." Iruka said. "You two were great rivals, and that helped your own growth Naruto. You saw him as someone you wanted to be equal to and you did all you could to try and reach his level. But there are some things that no matter what you do, they will never change."

"I wonder…if Sasuke never had lost his clan, would his life have been better?" asked Naruto. "Maybe he wouldn't have been so consumed with revenge."

"These are important questions that lead us to our own answers in life Naruto. The past holds many keys to unlock the doors of the present, which in turn give us the answers to the future." Iruka told him. "It's how each of us takes that knowledge and uses it. Some may use it to better themselves and become wiser, and some may use that for power and eventual ruin. That's why you should remember everything you've learned and use that to make yourself a better ninja and a better person Naruto."

Naruto knew Iruka was right. Being one of the only people he truly trusted, he took Iruka's words to heart. "Thanks Iruka-sensei. I'll definitely remember that." He got up and grabbed his backpack. Saying his goodbyes to Teuchi, Ayame, and Iruka, he left behind his favorite diner, with the promise of returning to see them again.

* * *

Sakura stood alone deep in the forest. She had located the final place where Sasuke was executed. All that was left was the acid washed crater from Katsuyu's acid. Sakura stared hard at where the person she loved met his demise.

"Sasuke-kun…why? I wanted to be there for you. I wanted to help you through your pain. I loved you." Tears began to stream from her face as she stared at the ground. "Was revenge all that was in your heart from the beginning?"

"**Power and corruption will do that to you. Happens to just about anyone that lusts for revenge."** Inner Sakura told her host. **"And wasn't it you that said you'd be willing to give everything up to go with him? Would you have wanted to face this end?"**

"No I wouldn't. I just wish that I could have done more to change this. If I was only stronger, I could have stopped him." Sakura cried as a light rain began to fall.

"**What stopped you from getting stronger in the first place? You had every opportunity to change and make yourself better. But what did you do?"**

"I…I…" Sakura was at a loss for words. "I really screwed up my life, didn't I?"

"**Sakura, what the hell are you talking about? You're only 13 years old. You're a Genin! You haven't even started a life yet!" Inner Sakura scolded. "As far as I'm concerned, if you want to redeem yourself from this, then you have a big choice to make."**

"What choice? All of my friends have abandoned me. I actually tried to kill Naruto for some stupid reason, and even he said he won't be my friend." Sakura fell to her knees in tears. "I really don't have anything at all." That's when she heard her inner persona laughing in her head.

"**You know something; Naruto wasn't the idiot after all!" Inner Sakura laughed hard. "You are! You say you don't have anything, you say you weren't strong enough. How about I put it to you in such a basic term that even you can understand it Sakura. Compare Naruto and Sasuke, and I don't mean by their popularity. Look at the two as real individuals from all of the information you know about them."**

"Well, Sasuke-kun came from a strong clan. He had a powerful bloodline and was a talented ninja." Sakura said as she started classifying things. "But he lost his family when his brother murdered them."

"**And do you remember what he was like BEFORE all of that happened? You do remember when you first met him back in the academy, right?"**

"He was…nice back then. Everyone liked him because he was friendly and nice." Sakura remembered what things were like within her first few weeks of the academy.

"**Yeah, he was the nice one. But what happened? Everyone started saying he was so cool that it went to his head and when he lost his family, he was so stuck on revenge that it wasn't worth it. Now what about Naruto?" **asked Inner Sakura. **"Remember how everyone treated him like crap when all he did was just walk into class the first day? Now look at where he is. You understand why he said the things he did to you now?"**

It was hard but the pieces fell together. Everyone was right. She had let her own personal feelings and fantasies cloud her own vision. After looking back at everything that happened, she finally understood. "They…Naruto…all of them were right."

"**You know the worst part about this pinkie? Naruto was the ONE person that would have done anything for you, no matter what you would have asked him. Hell, maybe in some strange turn of events you might have fallen in love with him instead of Hinata."** Inner Sakura responded, making the pink hair kunoichi think even more. **"But because you were so consumed with Sasuke, you probably severed the bond with the only true friend you may have had."**

Naruto's words rung through her head constantly. Hearing him say that he was going to bring back Sasuke dead or alive, and then later when he showed how badly he was injured and how he wouldn't be her friend broke the final straw. Sakura fully understood her own idiocy cost her big time. "Naruto…I'm sorry!!!"

"Sorry for what?" Sakura turned around to see Naruto with all of his gear.

"Naruto, I…"

"Sakura, don't say anything." Naruto turned to stare at the crater. "I know you're probably thinking that hearing you would get me to change my mind, but I'm still true to my word and I don't go back on it. You know that."

"But you said if I could change, then things could be different?" Sakura didn't know what to believe now. If there was anyone that could tell her, it would be Naruto. "You said if I could fully understand about being a Leaf shinobi, we would be friends, right?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, easily seeing that she had lost it. It wasn't that she was going crazy, but it was more like she was truly afraid in her life. "Sakura, there's nothing else I can tell you. I've wanted to be your friend, hell I even wanted to be your boyfriend ever since I met you because I thought you were the cutest girl I ever met. But all you did to me was push me away. I let you use me, I would take punishments for you, and after we became Genin, I felt that I would die for you Sakura."

Hearing those words tore at her heart even more. Sasuke never would have felt that way about her at all, but hearing it from Naruto made it worse. "Naruto…please say you're lying. Please tell me you wouldn't go that far for me."

"I'm not lying Sakura. That's how it was for me." Naruto saw her head fall as he answered her truthfully. "But that's in the past now. Nothing I can do about it."

"Naruto…do you hate me?" Sakura's voice was filled with sadness as the tears fell from her face. "Please, just be honest with me."

"Honest…ok. Right now I hate the person you are because I know you can probably be someone better." Naruto told her. "When you faced Ino-chan in that fight during the Chuunin exams, I thought you could really beat her by the way you didn't let her win and how you fought her with everything you had. She's the type of Sakura I'd love to be friends with. Look, I have to get going."

Naruto turned away and started walking out of the forest. Sakura knew she had one last chance to do something, "Naruto…you said that your nindo is to never give up and never go back on your word, right?"

"Yeah. It keeps me going every day and it's going to get me all the way to Hokage too." Naruto replied. "Try following it sometime. It helped Hinata-chan, and even Ino-chan likes it too."

"I'll…have to do that." Sakura wiped her face as best she could. "I don't know if it means anything but…have a safe journey Naruto."

For the first time, Naruto felt that her last words were truly honest. "Thanks Sakura. See ya."

* * *

Naruto made his way to the gates where Jiraiya and Tsunade were both waiting for him. It would be the last time he would see those large doors for at least two years.

"Get your goodbyes in?" asked the Toad Sage. "You better hope they last you for the next few years."

"Yeah I'm good. Baa-chan, make sure to hold down the fort ok." Naruto replied.

"You idiot." Tsunade smacked him upside the head for the crack before she knelt down and pulled him close. "Listen to me. Train harder than you ever have before. Jiraiya may be a pervy idiot, but he's one hell of a shinobi. With his help Naruto, I know you have the potential to become even greater than Minato."

"Greater…than my dad?"

"Yes Naruto. You have his spirit within you and he's watching you every day. Make him and everyone else here proud of you." Tsunade embraced him warmly.

"Thank Baa-chan. I'll do my best." Naruto replied as Tsunade got back to her feet. She then gave him a scroll.

"Don't open this just yet. Wait until tomorrow to open it." Naruto took the scroll, wondering what it was. "It's something that belonged to Minato that I think you'll like."

"Alright. Well Ero-sennin, let's head out." Naruto said.

"Actually, I think we have to wait just a minute." Jiraiya pointed to the distance where Hinata was running full speed to get to the gates. "I think she has something for you as well."

"Hinata-chan, are you ok?" He noticed she was breathing hard as if she ran clear across the village.

"I wanted to make sure…I got to give you this." Hinata quickly caught her breath and gave Naruto a small box. "I think these will help you in your training."

Naruto opened the box to find a pair of training gloves. On the edge of the gloves, he saw his initials embroidered in. "Thanks Hinata-chan. You're the best."

"Since you're here Hinata, you can keep an eye on this." Jiraiya handed a small scroll over to the pale eyed girl. "I have a feeling you may want to write every now and then. This will summon a messenger toad that will deliver any message directly to me and Naruto. You will also be able to receive letters back this way."

"T-thank you Jiraiya-sama." Hinata bowed as she received the scroll.

"Well then, time to go Naruto." Jiraiya stated.

"Right with you!" Naruto said as the two were walking out.

They had barely made it 10 feet when Tsunade noticed something troubling her apprentice. "Hinata now is a good time as ever to do it. Let him know what he'll have waiting for him when he comes home."

Hinata understood what she was saying and knew this would be her only chance for possibly the next three years. "N-Naruto-kun, wait!"

"What is it Hinata-ch…" Naruto barely could finish as Hinata ran up and kissed him, not on the cheek, but fully locking lips with him. His eyes grew wide as he was getting his first true kiss from a girl.

"I know you said that…you won't have an answer until you come back." Hinata was doing her best to keep from fainting. "I want you to know…I'll be here when you do get back. No matter what your decision is, I'll still be here."

Naruto saw just how red in the face she was. He figured she was using a lot of will power to keep from fainting in front of him. "You have my word Hinata-chan. But while I'm gone, keep this safe for me ok." He took off the necklace that Tsunade gave him. "Think of it as a good luck charm for your training. See ya Hinata-chan." He put the necklace around her neck and walked off with Jiraiya to begin his new journey.

* * *

A month later

"Well girls, I guess you two will be my new students. I hope you know that being a medic-nin will not be easy." Tsunade said as she addressed Hinata and Ino in her office. "Hinata I plan to have you fully learn all of my techniques, including my Super Strength arts as well. As for you Ino, you will be getting heavy concentration in poisons from Shizune. Your knowledge of flowers and herbs will help you immensely. Within one year's time, I plan to have both of you as Chuunin. Is that clear?"

"Yes Tsunade-shishou!" Both girls bowed in respect to their new master.

"Very good. For now why don't we go out for some dango?" Tsunade replied. Just as she and the other two girls were about to leave, they got a visitor.

"Hokage-sama?" The three saw Sakura walking through the door. However she was completely different. She wore her hitai-ate around her forehead like a standard shinobi and her fists were completely bandaged up. Ino noticed that the bandages were stained in blood as well.

"Sakura, what happened to you? Are you ok?" asked the blonde.

"Ino, I'm fine." Sakura replied. "Hokage-sama, I would like to request permission to train under you to become a medic-nin."

"Sakura are you serious? You've been missing for almost two months! Where did this come from?" asked Ino.

"I'm tired of being useless and weak. It's time I live in the real world instead of my fantasy world." Sakura replied.

"I hope you understand Sakura, that agreeing to this means I will work you into the ground. Training from me requires nothing but complete commitment and effort. There will be nights where you will go home battered and bruised and I will expect you to be up the next morning ready to go through the same punishment." Tsunade's voice was cold and serious. "Are you absolutely sure you want this?"

"I don't plan on giving up and I don't plan to go back on my word." Sakura replied. Tsunade could see her fire and determination in the girl's eyes. Only those truly committed would have such intensity.

"_You may not have gotten through to Sasuke, but it looks like you got through to Sakura. Naruto, you never cease to amaze me."_ Tsunade thought to herself. "Very well. As of right now, Ino I am removing you from Team 10. Hinata, since Neji has taken your place on Team 8 to help with their tracking, you will now be partnered with Ino and Sakura. Team Medic, training begins tomorrow morning at 5AM sharp! Be ready girls, because I'm going to mold you into three elite medics, and when I do my molding, I get down and dirty."

* * *

**This will officially conclude the original story line, and the next chapter will shift into the Shippuuden era. I probably won't do an intermediate chapter, but reveal things through flashback. As for those who are wondering about Sakura, she didn't run off and leave the village after hearing about Sasuke's execution. Basically after Naruto told her off when she tried to kill him, she avoided everyone by staying home or staying away from where the others of the Konoha 11 were. Since she had no official team anymore, she wasn't assigned missions.**

**But the next chapter will hold a lot of revelations. How will everyone's training affect them, especially Hinata's new Byakugan training? Also what was in the scroll Tsunade gave to Naruto, and then the big one...what will Naruto's answer be about the engagement? This one might be a little while because I may work on a chapter for Bijuu Wars next. Till the next time!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto: Alright! Finally getting into the Shippuuden line! Nice!

Sasuke: Yes, it's looking to be a good chapter.

Naruto: So are you FINALLY out of your whole emo bit after watching your character get executed three chapters ago?

Sasuke: I'm fine Naruto. Now shut up and let the chapter start so everyone can enjoy it! You know they're all waiting to find out the big answer!

Naruto: True. Well Kishi owns Naruto, so enjoy everyone!

* * *

Chapter 11

Three long years have passed in Konoha. To the untrained eye, the only major change was that Tsunade's face was now upon the mountain with the other Kages, while everything else was the same. The newest class of Genin was out on their first missions, beginning their careers as shinobi while the more experienced group would be working on refining their arts.

Today however would be a monumental day. One ninja would be returning back home. Other people may not take heed to this, but to a small group, this person was family or a close friend. To a few he was looked at as a best friend, to another he was a little brother. And to one certain girl, he was her whole world.

"The village looks wonderful." Naruto walked through the gates of his home, looking around at the life that spread through. "Man I've missed this place so much."

"I know what you mean Naruto. Hey check that out. Seems they finally put Tsunade's face up there on the mountain." Jiraiya pointed out.

"Yeah they did. Wonder if Baa-chan would go crazy if I painted it one day." Naruto laughed. Seeing the mountain reminded him of his younger days when he would pull his greatest pranks. "But I figure in a few years, mine will be right beside hers."

"Still pursuing that dream? So what do you have planned on your first day back?" asked the Toad Sage. "Gonna hit up Ichiraku's?"

"Naa. I have to deliver that scroll that Crow-sensei wanted me to give to Baa-chan." Naruto replied. "After that, there's a certain girl waiting for my answer."

Jiraiya knew what his godson was talking about. After the many letters Naruto had received over the years, he knew it was all building up to his decision concerning his engagement. "So you're absolutely sure you've made your choice?"

"Yeah. It may have taken three years, but I learned a lot in that time. Because of that, I think I can really make the right decision." Naruto said to the sage.

The two walked through the village taking their time. Naruto just wanted to enjoy his home again, taking in the camaraderie of the daily life.

* * *

On the other side of the village…

"Alright Hinata, how is the situation?" Shizune asked as a medical assistant wiped her forehead.

"There are two solid clots in the artery of the left thigh. One was easy to handle, but this second one is hidden underneath the ligaments near the bone area." Hinata had her hand over the patient's leg, concentrating her chakra. Over the three years, she had become a very talented medic nin from Tsunade's training. Coupled with her extensive Byakugan training, she could now see on a more precise level. "I've already shut off the chakra flow, and applied pressure to reduce the blood flow to that area. I'm not sure how we can get that clot out without severing the ligaments."

"Hinata, maybe if we applied heat to expand the vessel and increase the blood flow? That may cause the clot to loosen and we can work it out to an easier location for extraction." Sakura asked. She had undergone a tremendous change in the years past. The fantasy dwelling fan girl was no more as Sakura now devoted her life to the medical study. Unlike Hinata, Sakura took more focus towards the medical knowledge while Hinata focused more on the chakra control. Hinata was able to easily master the Super Strength abilities with ease, while Sakura knew them, but not as extensively. Sakura however became a walking medical dictionary now that she applied herself to her training. Both girls however were considered highly effective on the field, as their missions had a high rate of low injuries.

"Good idea Sakura." Shizune commented. "Alright, Hinata, keep an eye on the movement of the clot and guide us. Sakura, prepare to extract the clot at my direction."

Both girls nodded as the procedure was implemented. With no problems, the clot was removed successfully with minor damage. After the patient was released from surgery, the three finally had time to breathe.

"These procedures can be nerve wrecking." Sakura said as she removed her gloves and disposed of them. "At least it all went well."

"That it did. Honestly, having you two here makes it so much easier. Both of you have come a very long way since you started. Especially you Hinata-chan."

"I, well, I just did the best I could." She slowly fidgeted with the crystal around her neck; the one Naruto gave her on the day he left. "I did it…"

"Did it for Naruto, huh?" Shizune replied. "You know you're so easy to read whenever you play with his necklace."

"Naruto…I wonder…" Sakura thought to herself. She remembered his words at Sasuke's execution site and wondered if things had changed. "I wonder what he would say about me now."

"Still going on about what he said, huh?" The trio turned to see Ino walking in with some bottles of water. "I don't see why you need to worry Sakura. You've changed just like the rest of us."

"That's true. Ino-chan is right Sakura-chan. You've come a long way with your training. He probably won't even recognize you now." Hinata replied. "I'd say he'll definitely be happy with the new you."

"And what about you huh? Aren't you still waiting for an answer?" Hinata froze at Shizune's words. She knew that upon Naruto's return, he would have an answer about their engagement. The two would write to each other every other week, letting each other know about their progress. However in all of the letters Naruto sent, Hinata never saw anything about their engagement until she received the last one.

"I…that is…" Hinata started turning red in embarrassment. "What if he doesn't say yes? What if he found someone else?"

"Hinata, we've been through this a thousand times. Yes or no doesn't matter! Naruto has always cared more about you than any other person in this village. Ever since you made that blood oath promise to him, you're the only one he'd fight to the bitter end for." Ino told the purple haired girl. "Even if he did say no, he's still in very good graces with your father, and the engagement contract is still binding. You don't have to worry about that stupid seal from your clan or anything else."

"It's not that, it's just…I…I don't know if I'm ready. I haven't seen him in three years." Hinata started poking her fingers together again. "What if I…what if he…"

"What if nothing! Look, let's just go check in with Tsunade-shishou and see what else needs to be done today." Ino said as Sakura and Hinata finished changing into their normal clothes. "And Hinata, just cross that bridge when you get there. No matter what the outcome, Naruto will always be there for you."

Hinata felt a little better after Ino's words. Over the three years, the two girls became the best of friends during training and off time. Even Sakura became a good friend after she and Ino quickly dissolved the petty rivalry they had and reconciled their friendship.

* * *

"Hey Ero-sennin, did you tell Baa-chan when we'd be getting back in town?" asked Naruto. "I thought she'd be waiting to greet us at the gates or something."

"I did send message, but maybe she had something planned for you today." Jiraiya replied. "Maybe she was having your real Chuunin vest custom made or something."

"Yeah, that was a shocker. When she said I'd like what belonged to my dad, I didn't think it was his white coat and flak jacket, and a promotion to Chuunin as well." After Naruto received the scroll from Tsunade, he felt honored that she would give him items that belonged to Minato. He wanted to start wearing the coat immediately, but Jiraiya thought it would be better to have a replica made and keep the real one safe from combat. Naruto agreed and after about a month, he had a few coats made so he could always wear one, while the real one stayed in perfect preservation in the scroll. "So you really think I look like him, huh?"

"Naruto, if Minato was standing here right now, the only way anyone could tell you apart would be the whisker marks on your face and your shorter hair. Other than that, people would think they'd be seeing two Yondaime Hokages." Jiraiya commented. "Both he and Kushina would be so proud to see you right now."

"Yeah, they would be." Naruto thought back to a message he received from Tsunade while on his training. She had located a picture of both Minato and Kushina after a mission. Both were smiling and looked happy to be together. It became one of Naruto's most precious items. "I bet mom would be going crazy, wanting to cook for me since I got home. You said her cooking was some of the best right?"

"Naruto, Kushina's cooking put Ichiraku to shame! Her recipes were some of the best ever. You've heard of the saying 'The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach'?" Naruto nodded. "Well I will say this. Her cooking was known to cheer up the grumpiest of people on a bad day! You know, if Tsunade found any of her recipe books, you might want to see if Hinata will make you one of her meals."

Naruto snapped forward, _"Hinata-chan…cooking one of mom's dishes? But Hinata-chan is already a really good cook. I still remember when she sent those cookies and rice balls to me."_ That was something that helped keep Naruto going during his training. Hinata would send small care packages with her letters to cheer him up and keep him going strong during his training…well whenever Jiraiya didn't try to eat all of it before he could. "I never thought of that."

Jiraiya just laughed, "Naruto that only solidifies that you are definitely Minato's kid. You have his looks, his determination, and his appetite!"

* * *

"So today's procedure went well. Excellent work girls." Tsunade looked over the logged report that the girls brought from the hospital. "Sakura, what was your assessment on the recovery time?"

"Estimated recovery for the patient is approximately one week. With chakra therapy, the leg muscles will heal and he'll be back to full duty soon." Sakura replied.

"Good. Ino, how are things in the herbology labs?" Tsunade asked as she kept reading.

"Right now we've begun isolating the poison samples you gave us and have started breaking down the individual proteins. We already have several reagents ready for antidotes and will begin synthesis in a day." Ino answered. "Our herbal supply has also increased two-fold and we have more than enough supplies to begin standard antidote manufacture for all shinobi."

"So you believe the standard antidote that will be administered to all teams now will increase the survival rate?" asked the Godaime.

"Yes Shishou. We've tested it on a broad array of standard shinobi poisons and have produced a complete neutralization rate. The only thing that will need stronger antidotes will be custom made poisons." Ino said as she handed over a document.

"Good job Ino. I look forward to the results." Tsunade said as she looked over the document. _"Heh that old crone Chiyo would go nuts if she heard about this. It always was fun pissing her off every time I came up with an antidote for her poisons."_ Tsunade saw that nothing else was needed, "Very well girls. Everything is intact. Excellent progress with your training and studies. For now feel free to take the rest of the day…" She was interrupted as the door to her office opened.

"Hey guess who's…" Naruto opened the door and walked in, seeing the Godaime. However his sights soon changed as he saw Hinata standing there. "Hinata-chan…"

Hinata froze solid. For the first time in three years she stood face to face with Naruto. She couldn't believe the changes that happened to him, considering he was now more tone and even taller. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun!"

The air was quiet as everyone watched the two reunited after three years. They knew it was coming, but this sudden was a surprise. _"She's absolutely beautiful. I knew she said she grew her hair out in her letter, but this is amazing."_ Naruto stared in awe at the Hyuuga Princess. "Wow Hinata-chan, you look wonderful!"

"Naruto-kun I…" Her face went red as she fell backwards in faint. However before she hit the floor, Naruto was already over to catch her.

"Ugh, alright Ino, you win." Ino chuckled as Tsunade handed over a small purse of money. "I thought Hinata would have gotten over that fainting thing."

"Shishou, it's been three years. She may have gotten over her confidence problem and the stuttering, but when Naruto's around she'll go straight back to that girl she was back then." Ino replied. "But I have to say, Naruto you look amazing!"

"Heh thanks Ino-chan. You look great too." Naruto replied. He then looked over and saw Sakura standing there. She had definitely changed as well. "Sakura…"

"Hi Naruto. Welcome home." Sakura replied calmly. "I hope your training went well."

"It did. Thanks." Naruto said as he moved Hinata over to the sofa in Tsunade's office. "You look like you've done a lot of training too."

"I have. I'm now one of Tsunade-shishou's students. But there is something I need to tell you right now before I forget." Sakura said. "I want to say thank you."

"Thank you? For what?" Naruto looked fairly confused at her response.

"For making me understand that I really was a stupid fan girl back then. It turns out you actually taught me something very important that day you left and I've kept it with me ever since." Sakura replied. "Turns out that nindo of yours didn't just work for Hinata and Ino, it worked for me as well and for that I can't thank you enough."

"_My nindo…"_ Naruto thought back and remembered the day he left Konoha. _"So I guess she really did change back to that girl that fought Ino-chan at the Chuunin Prelims._" Naruto was quite surprised. He thought Sakura would still have been that messed up girl that treated him like crap before. "Look it's no big deal. I mean I bet you went through a lot with your training. Glad to see you learned a lot."

"_He still has doubts about me. I don't blame him. I figured it's not going to be that easy to change his attitude towards me."_ Sakura felt doubt rush over her. Naruto looked so happy to be home, but she couldn't be sure if he really thought she was the same girl. "You know, maybe after you've had time to settle in, we could spar."

Naruto could hear the uneasiness in her voice. He figured that she thought that he saw her as the same failure back then. "That might be fun. Never know what will happen in a good spar Sakura. You might even surprise me." As he said that Hinata started waking up. "So decided to join us back in the real world Hinata-chan?"

"I…uh…Naruto-kun!" She looked at his face and immediately grabbed hold of him in embrace.

"You know I really missed you." Naruto wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Thanks for all the letters you sent me. I really appreciated them."

"I'm just glad you're home Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she started crying in his arms.

"Hey, you didn't stutter. Knew you could get over that." Naruto was still cheerful as ever. "And I didn't forget. I have my answer for you, but it will have to wait." She let him go and wiped away her tears. "Oh yeah Baa-chan, I have something for you from Crow-sensei."

"Wait, I thought you only studied under Jiraiya-sama?" Ino asked as Naruto handed over a scroll.

"I did. But from time to time I got training from an ANBU named Crow. He's on some kind of long term mission but was also assigned to check up on my training. He's one of the best there is." Naruto replied.

"Naruto's right. Crow is one of Konoha's finest ANBU. His skill and talent ranks at the level of the Kages. I hope you learned a lot Naruto." Tsunade said as she filed away the scroll.

"I did. Especially with my genjutsu. Crow-sensei figured out that I'm really bad at it and helped me find ways around it by improving my ninjutsu and taijutsu." Naruto replied. "So have they already had another Chuunin exam yet?"

"You kidding Naruto? All of us are Chuunin and Neji made Jounin." Ino told him. "And you remember Temari and Kankuro from Suna? They're Jounin as well."

"What about Gaara? He's gotta be promoted too, right?" asked Naruto.

"Oh he got a promotion alright. Namely the promotion to Kazekage." Ino said, causing Naruto's jaw to drop.

"WHAT! You mean he made Kage before I did? That lucky dog! Well guess I got work to do then." Naruto answered.

"Are you sure that won't be difficult Naruto? You're still the only Genin left out of all of us." Sakura said.

"Actually Sakura, that's not true." Tsunade took a scroll and flak jacket from behind her desk. "Since you left just as it was finalized, I didn't have time to officially promote you. See because of Naruto's actions on the field in the Sasuke Retrieval mission, and the fact that he completed an S-rank mission that day, the council actually saw fit that he be promoted to Chuunin. Instead of going on the mission for cold blood and revenge, Naruto showed true leadership in returning a missing nin alive for proper trial."

"Yeah, Baa-chan sprung it on me in a scroll after I left. It was with my dad's flak jacket and his coat too." Naruto said as he took the items.

"So that coat you're wearing actually belonged to the Yondaime himself?" asked Sakura.

"No, this one is a copy. The real one is sealed away to preserve his memory." Naruto replied. "But you have to admit, it looks really cool thought."

"Whatever Naruto. Since you're back, you'll be reinstated for active duty. I won't be assigning you any missions for now because there will need to be some team re-organization. So go ahead and get used to being back home." Tsunade said. "As for you girls, take the rest of the day off as well."

"That's good and all Baa-chan, but Hinata-chan and I have something we need to talk about." Naruto walked over and wrapped his arm around Hinata. "Talk to you later." The two then vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"He knows Shunshin? Jiraiya, just what did you teach him?" Tsunade asked.

"What he should have been taught. Naruto's not that same little brat he was three years ago. There are things he's seen and learned and it has made him not only a better shinobi, but a better man as well." Jiraiya replied.

"I see. Now have you heard anything about his decision with Hinata? You obviously have to know something?" asked the Godaime.

"Unfortunately…he's kept that secret the whole time. He said that the first person to hear it would be Hinata." Jiraiya replied as he sat on the couch. "No matter how much I tried to pry it out of him, he kept it locked up tight."

"I see." Tsunade said as she tapped her fingers on her desk. "Ino, Sakura?"

Both girls were actually at the door ready to sneak out, "Yes Shishou?"

"Find those two. I want you to find out what he's going to say. Since you were going to do it anyway, might as well make it official." Tsunade said as she took a bottle of sake out. "Just don't get caught."

Both girls paused before answering, "Of course Shishou!" And thus the two were out of Tsunade's office in a flash.

* * *

"Here we go. Nice view huh?" Naruto said as he and Hinata appeared at the top of the Hokage Mountain, overlooking the village.

"It is Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she admired the view.

"You know, sometimes I would come up here when I was little, well to prank the mountain faces, but there were some days that I would just come look at the village." Naruto said as he sat down on a bench. Hinata quickly sat beside him. "But I guess that's not what you're waiting for, is it?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata tried to speak but Naruto stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

"You know, when I left, I still didn't know a thing about being in love or loving someone. Honestly I had no idea where I could even start to learn about that." Naruto said calmly. "I mean I knew that being in love meant you had someone special in your life to some people, but it just didn't feel right to me, ya know."

"What did you do to learn more Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"As me and Ero-sennin kept travelling, I'd see people in the villages we'd go to. I remember this one village I went to. There was a couple there that was really happy together. Their names were Ichigo and Rukia." Naruto began his story. "See Ichigo was this son of a really strong leader that everyone respected. But he wasn't happy being known as just the leader's son. He wanted to be known as his own person."

"Kind of how you are, right?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah. Well, he really liked this girl Rukia, but see Rukia was just some random girl that lived on the street. She lost her family when she was little and got by selling flowers. But when those two met, they really liked being with each other. Except I found out that Ichigo was supposed to marry some noble girl or something for his family's honor." Naruto continued. "What made things worse is that Ichigo's father told him that marrying a girl like Rukia would bring a lot of shame to his family."

"So what happened Naruto-kun?"

"Ichigo told me that it didn't matter who he was or how much power he or his family had. He just wanted to be seen as a regular person and not respected for material things. He asked me and Ero-sennin to help him rescue Rukia after she was captured by some bandits in a late night raid." Naruto told her. "Before he left, his father was trying to stop him, saying that if he ran off after Rukia, he'd be throwing away everything. But what really made me see things was what he said before he left." Naruto stared deep into the blue sky. "He said that "Money and titles are nothing but false riches. A real man knows that true riches come from the most precious things in his heart that he is willing to protect with his very life." I think that was when I really started to understand what it is to be in love with someone."

"So Ichigo gave up everything for Rukia?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah. Of course we did rescue her. Ichigo's father was pretty pissed and wanted to disown him but when we found Rukia, we found a lot of information about her family. The bandits that took her were actually working for some crime lord that knew about her family. Rukia was actually the niece of the current leader of that country. He thought she was killed so he didn't know much about her. When we got her back, boy Ichigo's dad had his foot in his mouth!" Naruto chuckled. "Here he wanted Ichigo to marry some noble girl when the very girl he was in love with had more power than anyone!"

"I'm glad it worked out for them." Hinata smiled as she watched the clouds pass.

"Yeah, but that taught me a lot. See Rukia didn't care that Ichigo was rich and powerful. She saw him for the person inside and that's who she loved and cared about." Naruto said. "After that day, every time I got one of your letters, it made me feel so much stronger in my training, and helped me understand what I was training for." Naruto took hold of her hand and looked her in the eyes. "Hinata-chan, over time I started to realize that you really are something more precious to me than anything. I thought back to that day you were hurt by Sasuke and how much it burned in my chest. That revenge I wanted was because I thought I was going to lose you. And I realized that even as a Shinobi, anything could happen. I pushed myself because I wanted to make sure that I would be able to fight anyone in order to protect you."

"N-N-Naruto-kun, what are you saying?" Hinata started feeling nervous. She didn't know if he was saying that he just wanted to be friends or wanted something more.

"What I'm saying is that I don't know what the future holds for me. I do know that I will stand by my word to always be there for you no matter what." Naruto swallowed hard as he prepared his next words. "However, I don't feel that it's right if we be friends."

Hinata let those words ring in her head. She felt completely shattered, but she knew that it was his choice. He signed the agreement and stated that he wasn't sure about going through the engagement. "I s-s-see."

Naruto looked at her with a big smile. "You know I expected this reaction. Makes it all the better when I tell you, I wasn't finished." Hinata jumped when she saw Naruto kneel down in front of her. "What I was going to say is that, I don't feel right that we should be friends. I would feel much better, if we were something more. Hinata-chan, you were the one that helped change the way I see things. Because of you, I truly have something I can proudly say I will die to protect." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "You wanted my answer, and it's this. Hinata Hyuuga, you've done nothing but love me with all your heart from the very day you met me. You didn't care who I was or what I was, but that I was someone wanting to achieve his dreams. You even went as far as to challenge your own family to stand firm to your love and beliefs. Because of that, I learned that you are the person I would always want at my side. You've given me nothing but support, care, joy, happiness, and love. So I ask you this…" He opened the box to reveal a small ring. "This was the very ring that my father, Minato Namikaze presented to my mother, Kushina Uzumaki when he asked…To the girl I love with all my heart, will you marry me?"

Hinata couldn't believe it. For three years she was in confusion about Naruto's decision. But now nothing doubted her. Her answer was solid from the very day she made that blood oath to Naruto. She wanted to always be by his side, and she trained herself to be strong so that she could also fight by his side as well. "Yes…yes, I'll marry you Naruto-kun!" Tears were streaming down her eyes as she felt Naruto slide the ring on her finger.

"I knew you would Hinata-chan." Naruto moved beside her, wiping away her tears of joy. "I knew you would." He moved close and placed his lips upon hers, pulling her close in a strong embrace.

* * *

**Well everyone, Naruto made his choice. But come on, in what strange and parallel world would he NOT want to marry her???? The next chapter will probably do a little more flashbacks and stuff, and then it will continue on.**

**On to other news. After watching another anime, I've had this very WEIRD idea for an anime crossover. I haven't really seen any stories like this, but I've kinda wanted to see a really good Naruto/Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha story. One where the Naruto universe is actually in a far future from the Nanoha universe. It would be showcasing the Naruto characters, but a few would obtain the devices from the Nanoha storyline, like Bardiche, Mach Caliber, Cross Mirage, and Raising Heart. I may create one of those challenges things to see if it works. I'd kinda want to see Hinata as the main character, not necessarily a pairing with Naruto, but the thing would be is that she'd be the main character and she'd come into possession of Mach Caliber as the main device, not Raising Heart. I dunno. If any of you reviewers have ideas, toss em to me. I may work on it as a side project or issue it as a fanfiction challenge.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

Neokenshin: Sorry everyone for the long updates. Things have been kinda kicking my butt in real life. Just got my car fixed, new promotion at work so my schedule changed, and my laptop blew up. Upside...my birthday's in a week and it looks like I'll get a new one. Downside...my old laptop had the new Bijuu Wars Chapter done and I lost all of it, so I gotta re-do it completely. But I'll try to kick back into fic writing for the summer and get those going. Sorry if I worried everyone, so to make it up I did make this a little humorous, but also a little more serious. Things will start picking up with more intensity in the coming chapters so I hope you're excited! And you know the disclaimer stuff...been saying it for three and a half years so yeah, have fun and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12

"Ugh, why is it so hard to find one person?" Ino was gripping her head in frustration. "We've been all over this village and have yet to find Naruto and Hinata."

"Maybe Naruto had someplace that he really wanted to take Hinata-chan. I mean she has been waiting three years for him to come back, and for him to make a decision about their engagement." Sakura replied as she munched on some dango. "Maybe we should wait until their finished to find out."

"But what if he turns her down? She'll be devastated beyond all reason." Ino sighed. She knew of the outcomes, but didn't know where to begin. "I guess you're right. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably be crazy enough to tell her at Ichiraku's." She paused for a second, realizing that they didn't go to the most obvious place first. "He wouldn't!"

"Ino, no matter how much Naruto has grown up, there are some things that never change about him." Sakura said with a curt laugh. "Might as well go check it out."

"You're right." Ino agreed and the two walked towards Ichiraku's. Sure enough Sakura was right. Both Naruto and Hinata were there. And so was a mountain of ramen bowls.

"Gotta say, three years really makes you miss this place." Naruto patted his stomach in delight after finishing off another bowl. "Makes it hard to decide what's better, this ramen or Hinata-chan's cooking!"

"You and your stomach Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled as she watched her beloved enjoy another bowl. She did notice Ino and Sakura arrive as well. "Hi you two."

"We go all over the village for this?" Ino sighed in grief. "Even though I'm your friend Naruto, I still don't get you sometimes."

"Get what?" Naruto asked with a mouth full of noodles.

"Please say you did NOT give Hinata-chan your decision here?" asked the Yamanaka.

Naruto finished off the bite, "Oh that. No, I told her up on the Hokage monument."

Ino breathed a sigh of relief. At least Naruto had some class. "Well, what did you tell her?"

"Uh, I told her I missed her and was glad to see her again?" Naruto said as he kept eating.

Ino paused in shock. "You're kidding? You come back after three years just to tell her that?"

While Ino was in grief, Sakura noticed something. "Hinata-chan, where did you get that ring?" She noticed the plain silver band and knew that Hinata never wore jewelry except for Naruto's crystal necklace.

"Oh this? Naruto-kun gave it to me. It belonged to his mother Kushina-sama. He said that she would have wanted me to have it." Hinata said as she showed the ring.

"This is nice." Sakura took a closer look and noticed an engraving. "Hmm, the words 'I love you forever'…THIS IS AN ENGAGEMENT RING!"

Ino froze at Sakura's outburst and rushed to look at the ring itself. She took one look then looked back at Naruto. He just had a smile on his face as he kept eating. "You planned this, didn't you Naruto?"

"Planned what? You just asked me what I told Hinata-chan. You just didn't ask what my answer was." Naruto replied. "Deception is a key tool of a shinobi, you know."

Needless to say, that did make Ino a bit angry. She walked over and stared hard at Naruto before pulling him into a hug, "You know she's always been the one for you. You better take care of her."

"Not even the damn fox could stop me from protecting and loving Hinata-chan." Naruto replied. "Thanks for being by her side when I couldn't Ino-chan. You're a great friend." He released the embrace and put some money on the table. "Teuchi-jii-san, thanks again. There's never better ramen anywhere."

"Anytime for my favorite customer." Teuchi replied heartedly. "You're always welcome here anytime."

"Well it's getting late. Want me to walk you home Hinata-chan?" he asked.

"I'd be delighted Naruto-kun." She took hold of his hand and walked out.

"Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, take care. See you guys tomorrow." He waved as he walked off with Hinata.

"Well, come on forehead. We might as well go report back to Tsunade-shishou." Ino said as she walked out of the ramen shop. However Sakura was somewhat frozen for a bit. "Sakura, get your head out of the clouds and come on!" She went over and waved her hand in front of the pink haired girl's face. "Sakura, what is wrong with you?"

Sakura was lost in thought, "Naruto called me…Sakura-chan. He hasn't called me that in over 3 years."

"What are you talking about?" Ino looked at Sakura like she was crazy.

"_Naruto stopped calling me Sakura-chan when his true feelings emerged. Does this mean he really has forgiven me and now considers me a friend?"_ She thought to herself as she started walking out of the ramen shop.

* * *

"So how have things been with your family?" asked Naruto as he walked with Hinata.

"Better. I still go and visit daily. Otou-sama has been helping me with my Byakugan training and Neji-nii-kun still works with my taijutsu when he's not on missions." Hinata replied. "Even Hanabi-chan has finally become a Genin. She graduated in the top of her class."

"She's not going to turn into another Sasuke, is she?" Naruto sounded a little distressed.

"No, she's constantly in training and studies. Otou-sama is still strict, but he is training her for clan leadership. She still gets two days a week off from studies, and she doesn't have to deal with anything while on missions." Hinata explained. "Oh we're here Naruto-kun."

"We are?" Naruto looked and saw a posh house. It wasn't as large as the Hyuuga compound, but it was a moderate home, perfect for a smaller family. "When did you get this place?"

"Actually, it's not mine. Tsunade-shishou asked me to take care of it until the owner returned." Hinata replied as she took out the key to the door. "Before I forget, here." She handed him the key.

"Why are you giving me the key?" Naruto looked slightly confused.

"As I said, Tsunade-shishou asked me to take care of this house until the owner returned. Since the owner has returned, I've done my job." Hinata smiled. "This is your house now. It belonged to Minato-sama."

"This is dad's house?" Naruto was shocked. He had just come home from a three year training job and now finds out he has his own house. He decided to walk in and look around and was quite surprised. "Wow, this is nice." The place was decorated in a comfortable motif without extravagance. There were pictures and wall scrolls, and the Namikaze family symbol over the fireplace. The furniture was nice, yet simple.

"Shishou told me that Minato-sama didn't care for expensive things and that he didn't like showing off as Hokage. She said that he preferred the simple things in life." Hinata explained. "While you were gone, Ino-chan and I move all of your things here, so this is your new home."

"I…I don't know what to say. Wait, you said you were staying here, right?" Naruto questioned, wondering what she was going to do now.

"I was staying in one of the two guest rooms." Hinata said as she showed the bedrooms to Naruto. "This is Minato-sama and Kushina-sama's room. It's yours now."

"Only for a few months." Naruto said as he looked over the room. "A room like this shouldn't be used by one person. It should be shared with someone special."

Hinata felt flustered at Naruto's words. "N-N-Naruto-kun, I…" She immediately started blushing as ideas ran rampant in her head. "It's just so…well…it's…"

"You know, I really missed that." Naruto said with a warm smile. "Just because we're not married yet doesn't mean you can't come visit sometime. If you ever get lonely or scared at night, just come jump in beside me."

Hinata felt even more embarrassed at that. "I d-d-don't get scared N-Naruto-kun."

"I know. Well, I guess I'll turn in for the night. See you in the morning Hinata-chan." Naruto went in and closed the door behind, leaving a flustered Hinata. She wasn't quite sure what just happened, but…

"_Ok…I'm in Naruto-kun's house…with Naruto-kun, and I'm also engaged to him."_ Hinata took a minute to make sure she wasn't dreaming. _"Ok, not dreaming Hinata. This is all real. On the other side of that door is your future husband. So what if he's been gone for three years and now comes back as a gorgeous hunk. Ok too much. Need to get some sleep and hope that I wake up and this is still all real."_ She did her best to keep from fainting as she went to her room to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning was quite different. Hinata had risen early and started to prepare breakfast. Tsunade had gotten a hold of Kushina's recipe books and Hinata had been practicing over the three years. As she was cooking, she heard the water running from the main bedroom.

"_Naruto-kun's in the shower! I know I'm not dreaming now! He's actually in there!"_ Hinata's teenage mind was going crazy. Even though she was a shy wallflower in her early pre-teens, she still kept Naruto fresh in her mind. As she matured, adolescence took over and even though she stayed focused on her career as a kunoichi, she did still have basic teenage fantasies. 

_"I wonder…if he's gotten better looking than…NO! I can't be like that! I'm not perverted!_" She shook her head, trying to empty the impure thoughts out while she cooked, but yet again teenage hormones took over. _"But…maybe just one…little peek? I mean I know about the basic anatomy from my studies. I can just do a simple checkup on Naruto-kun. Yeah, it's all medical. Nothing personal, nothing perverse." _Hinata nodded to herself. _"Alright. BYAKUGAN!"_

She concentrated her vision and adjusted it, only to go through the walls. Due to her training with her father, she gained substantial control over her Kekkei Genkai and could filter what she wanted to see through quite easily. _"Hmm, his muscular structure has become very tone and defined. Lateral biceps are developed well. Strong back and lateral muscles." _Her eyes began to slowly drift lower…_"Gluteus Maximus is very defined…and very cute too…Hinata, stop it! No perverse thoughts. This is purely medical and professional! You just have to check how Naruto-kun's physical training went."_ Unfortunately for her, while she was trying to fight off her urges…Naruto turned around in the shower, and things went out the window for Hinata! _"Oh my Kami…that chest…those abs…" _Then her eyes went right below the belt. _"N-N-N-Naruto-kun is so b-b-b…"_ And at that moment, Hinata proved a fatal flaw in female Byakugan users. Apparently viewing the male anatomy of the man you love can cause intense rushes of blood to the brain, causing massive blush in the face, slight to heavy nosebleeds, and eventual loss of consciousness.

Five minutes later…

"Hinata-chan, are you alright?" she slowly began to awake, seeing Naruto above her. "Hey you're not making breakfast on the floor are you?"

"Huh, how did I get down here?" Apparently Hinata's blackout caused very small memory loss. It was soon jarred back when she saw that Naruto didn't have his jacket on and only wore a black shirt with his orange pants. _"That's right, I saw Naruto-kun n-n-naked in the shower…"_

"Well whatever you made smells good. I can't wait to try it." Naruto helped her up and took note that she had everything practically prepared before she passed out. "It looks different though."

"It's one of Kushina-sama's recipes. It's a w-w-western style breakfast." Hinata explained. Naruto took note that there weren't any of the basics that he was normally used to. Instead of rice, fish, fruits, and vegetables, Hinata showed that she had prepared eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, hash browns and toast.

"One of mom's recipes huh? Then I bet it's gonna be awesome since you made it." Naruto said as he began to load his plate. "You said these are sausages right?" Hinata nodded in agreement. "Man these are big!"

"_Big…sausages…"_ Hinata's mind began to drift back to a few minutes ago. Her face began to once again turn red.

"You know, Ero-sennin did say that meat has a lot of protein and it does help with building muscle. I bet if I can really get some bigger muscle building if I pack it on. Oh yeah bring on the meat!" Naruto said as he put some extra sausage on his plate.

"_M-m-meat? Bigger m-m-muscle?"_ Her blush was getting worse and she was starting to feel flustered. She noticed Naruto had sat down already and decided it was best to join him. He had already started eating and she hoped that he would enjoy it.

"Oh wow, Hinata-chan, this is amazing! I've never had something so good before!" His eyes turned to a jar on the table. "Hey what's this stuff?"

"It's called strawberry jam. You place it on your toast Naruto." Hinata said.

"It smells good." He put a small amount on a piece and took a bite. "Wow! This is great! I bet it's even better if I lay it on thick!"

"_T-thick?"_ Hinata's mind just went into overload. Even though she was trying to focus on Naruto and breakfast, she couldn't get the images out of her head. It pushed her so far to the edge that she took off and bolted towards her room. "P-p-pardon me Naruto-kun!"

Naruto saw her run full speed out of the kitchen. "Hey Hinata-chan, you ok?" Before he could get up, he heard the door slam shut. A few minutes later, he heard a splash, like a bucket of water had been spilled. "Well…I hope she's ok. Guess I better finish this breakfast. Don't wanna let her awesome cooking go to waste!" So he sat back down and kept eating, hearing three more splashes coming from Hinata's room.

* * *

After breakfast, and after Hinata finally had a chance to cool off, the duo went to Tsunade's office. Today would be when Naruto would demonstrate the fruits of his training so that she could properly figure out what to do with him. That would have been the normal outcome, except for some information received the night before.

"So the Akatsuki are making a run at capturing Gaara?" asked the blonde. "I knew Ero-sennin said they would be getting started, but this soon?"

"Whatever it is, they want to make sure things go well in their favor." Tsunade explained. "Not only that, but the information that you brought from Crow shows that they've planned to send two of their members for each Bijuu and Jinchuuriki. The thing is, you're the last one they have to go after because of how strong the Kyuubi is. They would need to seal that Bijuu last."

"Ok then, this gives us an advantage. Since I'm the last one they have to go after, it will be some time before they try anything. I can go to Suna and help Gaara." Naruto replied.

"Naruto, you can't go. If the Akatsuki are there…" Shizune tried to intervene, but was cut off.

"No Shizune. Naruto is correct. As a matter of fact, I was planning to assign this mission to him." Tsunade stated clearly. "Out of any person in this village, Naruto understands exactly what the situation is and is best suited to assist Gaara."

"But all of our available Jounin are on missions. Who would we send to help him?" Shizune asked.

"Shizune, not all missions need a Jounin leader. As a matter of fact this mission will be led by a Chuunin." She turned back to Naruto. "Jiraiya told me of some of the things you did while on your training Naruto, and I want to see what fruit that has produced. I'm assigning you as captain for this mission."

Naruto was shocked. Even though he had been on missions before his training, he was never chosen to be a captain. "I…wow that is to say…"

"It's ok Naruto-kun, you'll do great with whatever team members you're paired up with." Hinata said reassuringly.

Naruto saw the confidence and reassurance on her face. "You're right. I spent three years training to not only be stronger, but training to achieve my dream of Hokage." He turned back to Tsunade and bowed in respect. "Hokage-sama, I will complete this mission to the best of my and my team's ability. How many members am I allowed on my team?"

"_You really have grown up Naruto. At first I had thought Jiraiya would have pumped some of his perverted ideas in your head, but looking at you now proved me wrong. Depending on how things go, I may have to put you in the Jounin exams in a few months."_ Tsunade thought to herself. "Excellent. This mission will be carried out in a team of four. Based on the information Crow gave us, these are the two Akatsuki you may have a run in with." She handed over the scroll with the information. "The first is Deidara, a long range fighter that uses explosives. He hails from Iwa, so he is an Earth type shinobi."

"Hmm, ok, and what of this Sasori person?" asked Naruto.

"Sasori is a puppet specialist, like Gaara's brother Kankuro. Crow's intel shows that Sasori has a broad arsenal of puppets at his disposal. In addition, he also works with poisons." Tsunade told him.

"Then Ino-chan would make a great addition. She said she was studying poisons as well. She may be able to make antidotes. Now that I think about it, if we have to track Gaara, we'll need a good tracker. Wonder if Kiba's available?" Naruto said as he thought about his options.

_"Good eye Naruto. Assessing the information and thinking what will be your best options. That shows good leadership and is a definite quality of a Hokage."_ Tsunade was pleased that he was being calm and rational, and not thinking about rushing into this. "You have good perception Naruto, however Kiba is currently on a mission so he is unavailable. I have selected the three best candidates that we have available and believe they will be very good for your mission."

"Ok, so who are they?" asked Naruto.

"Well you are right about Ino being one of your members. Her skill in poisons will be a great asset against Sasori. She also happens to have some skill with long range skills, though not as extensive as Tenten." Tsunade explained. "As for your other two members, I'm assigning Hinata and Sakura to go with you. Hinata is still trained in tracking, even if her Byakugan doesn't have the long range it used to. Sometimes finding small details are better for tracking, and she can do just that. She's also the strongest close combat fighter of the three girls. "

"What about Sakura?" Naruto questioned.

"Sakura is well rounded in both combat and support. In addition, she is also a Lightning type, which will be very useful against Deidara. She's a very good sweeper, able to move from close combat, to mid combat, to support." Tsunade said. She saw Naruto thinking,_ "I take it you're probably thinking about what Sakura can do. Let me tell you Naruto, she is NOT that fangirl you used to know anymore. I think you'll be very pleased with what she can do."_

"Alright. We'll leave out in 30 minutes. Hinata-chan, can you go and get Ino-chan and Sakura-chan and tell them to meet at the gates?" Naruto asked.

"Of course Naruto-kun." She nodded and ran out to get her teammates. After she left, Naruto was the only one around with Tsunade and Shizune.

"Naruto, is there anything else you need to ask?" Tsunade inquired.

"Just one thing. I know that I've changed a lot since things happened over 3 years ago. Do you really believe I'm fully capable of leading a mission? I mean I just got home and have never done anything like this before." Naruto said.

Tsunade could sense this as it was Naruto's first real leading mission. "Naruto, if you were still the same hyperactive kid that wanted to rush into things, then I would doubt you. But I don't see that in you anymore. I will admit, I thought Jiraiya would only show you a few jutsu, taijutsu, stuff like that. But I was proven wrong. You've grown into a fine young man, one that would make Minato and Kushina proud." She walked over and put her hands on his shoulders. "Naruto, seeing you now only reinforces the fact that you want to be Hokage more than anything. That is why I believe you will succeed. Both Hinata and Ino will be there to support you, and believe it or not, but Sakura will not let you down. She's worked extremely hard to get to where she is today."

Naruto understood her words clearly. "It's not that I don't doubt her. Hinata-chan would tell me about her training and told me a lot about Sakura. I just hope that she didn't do all of this just for me. That's probably why she still feels that I have no faith in her."

"Just let her show you. Remember, actions speak louder than words Naruto. I promise you won't be disappointed." Tsunade assured him.

"Alright Baa-chan. See you in a few days then." Naruto said with a quick smile. Just before he got out of Tsunade's office, she stopped him.

"Ok Naruto, what gives? Just a few minutes ago, you were addressing me properly as the Hokage, and now you go back to calling me Baa-chan?" Tsunade growled.

"Oh that, well…in one of the letters Hinata-chan sent me, she said that there were times you were really worried about me…calling me your little brother, I think. So who says a little brother can't annoy his big sister from time to time. Later!" Naruto explained and then bolted out of the office.

Tsunade sighed as she went back to her desk, "Shizune, one of these days, remind me to give Naruto a big hug for being so sweet…then a thunderous punch for being so annoying!" She rubbed her temples in grief. "He's been back one day and he's already on my nerves!"

"I guess that really is a bad thing, isn't it?" asked Shizune.

"Are you kidding? If he didn't get on my nerves, I'd think he'd had his brain removed! This place was just too boring with him gone. Now I have a legitimate reason to drink." Tsunade chuckled as she got back to her work.

* * *

Naruto went back to his house…it was hard for him to believe that he had his own house now…to pack for his trip. He thought Hinata would already be inside preparing, but she was one step ahead. Sitting on the table was his backpack, fully loaded with supplies. "She even put in three cups of instant ramen. I wonder if Mom ever spoiled Dad like this." He was about to head on out when he had an idea. "Hmm, if we're going up against a former Iwa shinobi, I bet this will have him scared to death! Dad, you'd love to see what I can do now. Give me a few months, and I'll have the Hiraishin down with no problem. But my little trick will do for now." He went to his room to pull out something he knew would be a good luck charm to him.

20 minutes later, Naruto arrived at the gates to find the three girls already waiting for him. It surprised him a bit, since it was his first team, but they were early?

"Didn't expect you guys to be here early? We still have another 10 minutes before meet up." Naruto said to his team.

"Well, there's a saying Naruto-kun; _If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late. If you're late, you're dead_." Ino told him. "Also what's with the new look? It's strange not to see you in orange."

"Oh this? Well, I figure Dad's Chuunin vest would be a good luck charm for me. Plus I remember how he really terrorized Iwa shinobi. Maybe the one we run into will have second thoughts when he sees me." Naruto said. He had traded his orange jumpsuit for the standard blue Konoha fatigues, combined with Minato's Chuunin Vest and Robe made him a splitting image of Minato. "But since we're here early, I guess I should take time to get a supply check from everyone, just so we're prepared. Ino-chan, why don't you go first?"

"Alright Naruto-kun." Ino took her supply pouch and opened it for the group. "I have with me the standard supplies for a four person team. 80 plasma, chakra, food, and antidote pills, 20 for each person. In addition I also have multiple herbs and supplies, plus a mini field lab for poison analysis and antidote synthesis. I also have standard medical equipment, plus a mini field camp sealed away in case of major injury. In addition I also have a recall summoning scroll and seal to summon Katsuyu-sama in the event of critical injuries. She will be able to transport the injured to whatever secure location I set. We decided that I'll be the team's medic for this mission." Ino sealed her bag and showed Naruto a scroll as well. "This also contains various seedlings that are to be delivered to Suna. They have been bred to grow in arid temperatures and will help provide them herbs and information towards their poison research. Since we'll be dealing with a poison specialist, this will give us an edge for antidotes."

Naruto was a little surprised at the amount Ino had. _"She's got all that and it's in that one pouch? Ok I guess I won't worry about getting sick or anything." _He cleared his throat to continue, "Sakura, you're next."

"For this mission Naruto, I'll be your sweeper. I have with me a smaller pack of medical supplies, 20 plasma, chakra, food, and antidote pills. I also have 50 kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and 30 meters of trap wire. I have 40 smoke bombs, flash bombs, sound bombs, and poison gas bombs. I also have spare batteries for our wireless communicators. In addition I also have been trained in two long range lightning jutsu and two short range lightning jutsu for combat. At any time I can move to front line combat, back up support, or medic if you need me to Naruto. In addition I can move back to support and cover Ino if she needs to use her Shintenshin. Just let me know what you need and I'll do it." Sakura showed off her pack to Naruto, nearly causing his jaw to drop.

_"Ok…Baa-chan was right! She didn't go all out just for me, she did this for herself! I gotta say it's really great to see the real Sakura-chan again."_ He shook off the surprise and continued, "Ok Hinata-chan, what about you?"

"Naruto-kun, I'm your point and front line attacker. I have a standard single person supply pack of 10 antidote, chakra, food, and plasma pills. I also have 100 shuriken, kunai, and 50 meters of trap wire. I also have 30 explosive tags, smoke bombs, flash bombs, and sound bombs. I've also been trained in extensive close combat skills, Hyuuga taijutsu, and Shishou's super strength abilities. If anything gets in your way, I'll knock it down with no problem." Hinata said with a smile.

That did it. Naruto's jaw officially hit the ground after that one. _"What the hell? Baa-chan didn't give me a team of Chuunin, she gave me a team of freaking pre-ANBU! I knew Hinata-chan said they work well together, but this is amazing. Ok, it's first mission and all, so you have to show you're confident you can lead. Ero-sennin and Baa-chan both believe in you."_

"Naruto, in addition to our supplies, I took the time to speak with Shikamaru. Since we are headed to Suna, we can meet up with Temari. She left the village about 6 hours ago. We can meet up with her and relay our mission plans." Ino explained.

"Oh, uh thanks Ino-chan. I guess if there's nothing else then…" Naruto tried taking in all that information, in hopes of not messing up.

"There is one more thing Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "We know this is your first time leading a mission, and we want you to know that we will fight to the bitter end to ensure your mission is a success. You need not worry about any dissolution or petty matters."

"Well, thanks I guess. I mean I am a little nervous at leading my first mission, but as your captain, it's my responsibility to ensure the safety of my team. So please don't think you need to step up to save me." Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Oh well, let's get going. It'll take us a few days to get there so we need to make good time."

"Naruto, before we go, I need to talk to you." Sakura looked at him with an air of seriousness. "Could I see you over here for a bit?"

Naruto waved over to Hinata and Ino, "Sure. We have a few minutes." He followed Sakura out of hearing range of Hinata and Ino. "So, what's up?"

"Naruto, I know it's been just a day, but this has been bothering me. Yesterday you called me Sakura-chan. You haven't done that since the day that you decided to leave Team 7. I haven't shown you anything yet?"

Naruto knew this was coming and decided to finally end things, "Sakura, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. Three years ago, I wouldn't have given you the time of day even as a normal person because of all the conflict you had over Sasuke. I mean you were so frantic, you tried to kill me remember?" Sakura was gonna reply, but Naruto stopped her. "I know you remember the last time we spoke…at Sasuke's execution site. I said I wanted to be friends with the Sakura that gave her all at the Chuunin exams against Ino, the Sakura that would push herself to the edge and show she was a true kunoichi. Honestly, right now I can't say I see that in you."

"I see. That's why…" Sakura was quickly interrupted.

"I wasn't finished. I said I can't see that in you right now, but after reading Hinata-chan's letters over three years changes that. I know about how you walked and told Baa-chan you had a burning desire to change yourself. I know all about your intense training, and even the little incident that put Hina-chan in the hospital for a week for those broken ribs and a broken leg."

"Oh that…well, yeah I did kinda hit her too hard in training." Sakura felt a little ashamed but she noticed Naruto didn't change his demeanor.

"Even though I wasn't with her, I could tell she was laughing in that letter Sakura. Even though she was hurt, it helped her understand and grow, just as you did. I don't need to know what you can do on the field from anyone else, and you don't need to prove anything to me. That's why I'm upholding my end of what I said." Naruto held out his hand. "So why don't we make this the new chapter. Let's be what we should have been in Team 7, friends and teammates? Sound ok to you Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto…you're serious? I mean I did everything I could not only to make myself stronger, but I did want to have you back as a friend. This took me a while to come to terms, but back then, I really did appreciate the compliments and the nice things you tried to do for me. I was just so clouded with Sasuke that it caused more problems." She looked at his extended hand and saw the sincere look on his face. "But after three years…Hinata-chan does need an extra girl around to help keep you in line when she and Ino-chan aren't here, so…here's to a great friendship, Naruto-kun." She took his hand and applied a good grip.

"Alright, now let's go to Suna and kick some Akatsuki ass!" Naruto said, inspiring more confidence in his team.

Sakura tightened her hitai-ate and moved out with the group. _"Naruto-kun, it's a shame that this couldn't happen three years ago. Maybe you could have made a change in Sasuke as well, and we could have probably been a true team. But that was the past. The future is now and I'm happy that you can now call me a teammate, and more importantly a friend. I know you said I don't have to prove anything to you, but I'll show you just what kind of kunoichi I am!"

* * *

_**Well Naruto now has his own house, Hinata reveals she definitely has a perverted side, and the rift is finally mended with Sakura. Naruto now has his own team and he's headed full speed to Suna to take on two of the Akatsuki. How will he fare on his first mission as team captain? And just what can Hinata, Sakura, and Ino do in battle that Naruto has yet to see? And what will Deidara do when he thinks he's met the Yellow Flash? All in due time...but hopefully not too long.**


	13. An important Author Update

Greetings from the Desk...or Keyboard...or whatever!

You're probably wondering what in the living world happened to me, considering I haven't done many updates in….what a year, two years? Well I do want all of you to know I'm not dead yet, nor am I even going to discontinue my stories at all.

Let's face it, real life just plain sucks. Well…my case was a little different. Back in October 2009, I re-connected with a friend from college that I hadn't seen in almost 10 years. (I'm not THAT old! I'm only 30…that means I better not get a single "old fart" joke out of you RasenganFin, because I know you're the type that would do it!). Well for those of you who had been with me from the start, I suffered a pretty bad emotional breakup and fanfiction helped take my mind off of the breakup for about 3 years. But enough of that part. Well meeting this friend again was a really good point in my life because she was a wonderful person to me and to meet back up after 10 years was pretty interesting. So I spent most of my time connecting back with her for a good year and in November 2010, we met up in person for the first time…and next thing you know we're dating. Well fast forward to August 2011….I proposed to her and she said yes. So the last 9 months have been spent going absolutely MAD prepping for the biggest event of this author's life…As of May 26, 2012 there will officially be a Mrs. Neokenshin at my side. Yep, it's crazy.

So I wanted to give all of you who have been with me since 2006 an update and let you know where my life is headed. In no way will I discontinue my three main stories. It just means updates will come pretty slow, but they'll still come. Plus they may look a little better because my fiancée is an English Teacher so that may help! But thank you all for reading my stories, favoriting them, and even adding me as one of your favorite authors. I hope to give you many more exciting chapters in the future!

Thanks again everyone!

Neokenshin


	14. Chapter 13

First off I want to thank everyone for the well wishes and congrats on my upcoming marriage. As of today my Fiancee and I are officially in the 2 week countdown so it's pretty hectic with trying to make sure everything is finalized. I'll be honest, I've heard grooms have it easy since apparently all they gotta do is just show up...yeah right! I've felt just about every ounce of stress my fiancee has had and it has been crazy!

But as for this chapter, I started this one literally after Chapter 12 and it pretty much sat there for a good 2 years before I got it done. It's not got a lot of action...this one's more of a humorous chapter. Hope you all get a good laugh and enjoy it! And you guys know the disclaimer!

* * *

Chapter 13

After a few hours of hardcore running, Naruto and his Angels **(A/N You know it was coming!) **finally managed to catch up to Temari, who had taken a small rest at a teahouse off the trail. She seemed a little disturbed to see Team Medic, and more shocked to see Naruto as well. However she was quickly informed of the situation and immediately joined the quartet in the rush to help Gaara.

"Akatsuki's already on the move? I thought the last message from Hokage-sama said it would be at least a few more months." Asked the Suna Jounin.

"That's what we thought. Luckily we have someone that has a lot of intel on Akatsuki." Naruto replied as he leapt from another branch. "At least we know just who we're going up against. You don't happen to have any more information on Sasori, do you?"

Temari shook her head, "Not too much. You would need to ask Chiyo-sama. She's one of our elders and could probably tell you a lot more. However she doesn't really talk much now since she's in a self proclaimed retirement with Ebizo-sama, her brother."

"I also heard she's not too impartial to Leaf shinobi as well. Shishou told us how much she used to be a thorn during the Third Ninja War." Ino added her comment. "Like for every single poison that Chiyo-sama created, Shishou could quickly make a counter or antidote."

"Guess that means she won't like dealing with all three apprentices huh?" Sakura said. "But what can you do?"

The girls all laughed together when Hinata noticed something. "Hey did you all suddenly feel that? It's like it became muggy all of a sudden."

Ino and Sakura shook their heads. Naruto however noticed it. "She's right. The air is a lot more moist. I think we may be heading into a…" And before he could finish, he and his teammates, and Temari ran full force into a massive downpour. "Storm."

"Where in the world did this come from? There weren't any clouds earlier?" Ino screamed from the rain.

"It's probably because we entered a deeper part of the forest. The foliage reduced our field of vision. Right now this rain is too heavy. We need to find shelter for now!" Naruto ordered. "Hinata, can you check the area?"

"I'll try Naruto-kun!" Hinata quickly activated her Byakugan, scanning everything in a 30 meter radius as they moved. "To the southwest. There's a small cave. It also looks abandoned."

"Alright girls, let's move." Naruto took the lead and headed in the direction Hinata pointed out. Her scan proved fruitful as the cave was empty and dry. It wasn't huge, but could easily support the shinobi.

* * *

"Whew, that was insane!" Ino said as she wrung the water out of her hair. "I can't believe that hit us so suddenly."

"Yeah well, we don't know how long it's going to last. Our best bet is to set up a small camp for now. We've already been on the move for 15 hours now. Let's wait out the storm and rest." Naruto said. "Sakura-chan, can you get a fire going? It's also best that everyone get out of these wet clothes to prevent sickness."

"That's good and all Naruto, but…aren't you forgetting something?" Ino asked. Naruto looked around the cave like nothing was wrong.

"What, the fact that there are four dripping wet females in here and one guy, and apparently the terms 'getting out of wet clothes' isn't good right now?" Naruto said as he took his jacket off. "Ino-chan, you have no idea what Ero-sennin put me through on my training trip, and trust me, it gave me a much better appreciation for respecting women."

"What do you…" Ino was cut off as Naruto tossed her a blanket. He also had three more that he gave to the other girls as well.

"Don't worry, I'll wait until you're all wrapped up and I have an interesting story for you all." He turned away from the girls and headed back to the entrance of the cave to try and build a wall to keep the wind out.

As for the girls, they all huddled quickly to have a quick conference.

"Ok, seriously, who is he? What guy wouldn't want to stare at four girls that are getting undressed?" Ino whispered.

"Well for one thing he is engaged, so you know he at least has that much respect. I mean yeah he'd probably wanna keep his eyes locked on Hinata-chan here, but that's about it! But did you see how he acted? It's like it wouldn't affect him at all!" Sakura added.

"Maybe he's extremely disciplined. I do know that most Jounin and ANBU level shinobi aren't worried about modesty when on a mission. Being able to overcome that apparently increased teamwork and allows units to better communicate and work together." Temari explained. "Maybe that's it?"

"Um…as much as I'd like to discuss this, it is getting cold in these clothes and I'd like to warm up." Hinata said with a shiver.

"Hinata's right. Honestly if I did have to be stuck here in my underwear with a guy right now, I'd rather it be Naruto-kun." Ino said as she began to unbutton her skirt.

The four quickly undressed and wrapped up in the blankets Naruto gave them. They all huddled together around the fire to share warmth when Naruto came back. He had already stripped down to his shorts and a sleeveless fishnet shirt.

"Least you're keeping warm, that's good." He said as he set his clothes by the others to dry.

"Naruto, this just doesn't seem right. I mean you're here with four nearly naked girls…and you're sitting there all comfortable like we're in front of Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura questioned. "Plus there's the fact that you spent three years with Jiraiya-sama…the biggest pervert in Fire country! Something just doesn't add up."

"**She's right kid. I mean come on, four hot vixens down to nothing but bras and panties? You need to be all over that like white on rice!"** The Kyuubi was definitely questioning Naruto's manhood here. "**Hell, make you three clones and tap all four of those asses at once! You know, they're probably all virgins too, so you know they gotta be…"**

"_Listen fuzz butt I happen to be engaged if you hadn't forgot…" _Naruto replied back.

"**Yeah, to one hot vixen with a really nice set of hooters on her!" **Kyuubi said perversely. "**I know you liked the way she kissed when you got back. Wonder what other tricks she's learned with those lips of hers."**

"_Shut up man! Yeesh!"_ Naruto snapped back. _"Just because you haven't gotten any in who knows how long doesn't mean you can drive me nuts about it! Freaking perv!"_

"**Whatever. I'm going back to relive those memories of yours. That was a good night!" **Kyuubi went back further into the cage he was behind until he was no longer in sight.

"_You better not make a mess back there! I swear if I see anything dripping from the walls I'll get Inoichi-sama to erase every single one of those memories you love so much!"_ Naruto screamed at his tenant.

"**Yeah yeah!"** Kyuubi blew him off like it was nothing.

"Uh Naruto are you ok?" Sakura asked when she saw his demeanor slightly change.

"Just having to deal with my 'brother' so to speak." Naruto sighed in grief. "As you know, I house Kurama inside of me and it turns out he's just as big a pervert as Ero-sennin is, if not bigger sometimes."

"Kurama? You mean you named the Kyuubi?" Ino was even more shocked.

"No, that's his real name. See during my early training, we didn't see eye to eye. Well eventually, it just got boring yelling and screaming at each other and I finally sucked it up and just talked to him like a normal person. Oddly enough, he's quite civil and intelligent. I learned his name and as time passed I didn't see Kurama as a beast of destruction. Fact is he's more pissed at the guy that took control of him the night I was born, so we actually had somewhat of a common ground." Naruto explained carefully. "And from time to time he'd give me some decent advice…whenever Ero-sennin wasn't around. I mean we don't hate each other, or necessarily like each other, but we do have a mutual respect for one another."

All four girls looked highly confused. "Naruto, that still doesn't make sense about you not wanting to undress us with your eyes and get a good look and 4 very nice packages…especially Hinata's!" Sakura still wanted to know why he didn't take after the now known two perverts. Of course Hinata turned red after hearing her comment.

"Sakura-chan, you've obviously never been thrown to a horde of ravenous, nearly naked, sex-crazed geisha for your 15th birthday." This caused all the girls to jump for a bit. "Yeah I figured that would make you jump. Trust me, it was probably the most messed up night in my life! Honestly, it gives me one reason to HATE using the Kage Bunshin with modified seals."

"Naruto-kun, you…you…" Ino stuttered out.

"Trust me Ino-chan. I came out of that as pure as the day I was born. I can't say the same for the 15 Kage Bunshin I made. But I did have a really interesting event happen that night." Naruto said as he began his story.

* * *

(begin flashback)

Thirteen months ago…

Naruto and Jiraiya had arrived in a small town about 200 kilometers outside of Taki. Jiraiya needed to meet up with one of his informants and since Naruto's birthday was fairly close, he could finally treat the boy to some real entertainment. Naruto on the other hand had been thinking about his training and reading up on the latest letter he had gotten from Hinata. Over the past two years that he had been in training, he finally had the chance to truly learn and understand about people being in love. It actually helped him fully understand Hinata's feelings for him and he slowly developed his own love for her. He just wouldn't tell her until he got back to Konoha.

"So what's the deal Ero-sennin? You said we wouldn't be stopping until we got to Taki. Why are we in this village?" asked Naruto.

Jiraiya was intrigued by the boy's eye. "As you know Naruto, I maintain a very tight spy network. Information can be anywhere and is critical for a good shinobi. Having your contacts in the most inconspicuous of places makes it very easy to keep it hidden from your enemies."

Naruto quickly remembered that information can be more valuable in a mission than a battle or a kill. "I get it. In a big village it would be obvious that there is information about, but for a small village that not a lot of people live in, only the more cunning would know to look for information."

"Excellent job Naruto. That kind of thinking will get you very far as a Hokage. Set your network correctly and you'll have all kinds of information streaming to you and your enemies won't know what hit them."

"_Hmm, so if I were to set up a spy like Ino-chan, she'd be really good at going to get the information. Since she likes herbology and horticulture, having her out as someone like a researcher cataloging flowers would give her an unbelievable cover. She could then meet with the contacts by her Mind Transfer jutsu because it would look like she'd be asleep from researching so much!"_ Naruto thought as Jiraiya led the two to a hotel. "Yeah, something like that will be really valuable…wait, so all those times you're peeping at the baths and hot springs, you're getting information?"

Jiraiya jumped at Naruto's revelation, "W-w-well you could say that. Let's just get some rest. You got a birthday coming up and I know of a place that you'd have a blast at."

"Right…" Naruto just rolled his eyes as he walked behind Jiraiya to the room. _"Thinking with his lower head instead of his upper head again. Blasted perv!"_

Two days later…

"Ok…so where are we now?" asked the blonde as he walked in with his teacher to another bar.

"My boy, there comes a time in every man's life where he should enjoy the pleasures of life. You're 15 now and I think you'd definitely enjoy some of this pleasure." Jiraiya said as he and Naruto were led to a booth.

"Uh ok…I guess so." Naruto kept looking around cautiously. "Uh Ero-sennin…what's up with all the women in here?"

"Oh that…well they're geisha. I have to say this place is renowned for its fine sake, and fine women!" Jiraiya said proudly as two scantily clad women brought two large bottles of sake and some food. "Oh yeah bring it on! And before I forget, it's my student's birthday here!"

"_Oh hell…"_ Naruto thought to himself as he felt the entire room stare at him. It went quiet for a bit, then a loud siren went off as the owner came to their table.

"Well if it isn't the great Jiraiya! Ladies we have a VIP here today, it's time to go all out! And what's this I hear about a birthday?" He stared straight at Naruto. "I'd say you're about 15, right?"

"Uh…yeah, that's right." Naruto said, loosening his collar.

"Then there's only one way to go! 15 women for all 15 years!" Faster than Naruto could blink, he had 15 nearly naked women all over him, literally ripping at his jacket! And these just weren't any ordinary women…oh no…these women were pros. He was already suffocating behind the massive chests of four women that cornered him, while three more were somehow getting his jacket off, and he felt another two go for his pants!

"Ero-…sennin…I…can't…" Naruto did his best to try and breathe but with eight massive mammaries bigger than Tsunade's suffocating him…it sure wasn't working!

"Enjoy it my boy! It's not every day a man gets 15 women wanting to break him in on the spot!" Jiraiya was downing the sake full force, enjoying everything.

"_I swear I am going to kill him for this! And I know that Kurama is probably laughing his furry ass off too!"_ Naruto thought to himself.

"**Hey Naruto, you got that right! This is priceless! Those horny vixens are gonna rip you apart like foxes at a feeding frenzy! 15 sets of knockers that big? Last time I seen hooters like that was back when Matatabi reached adulthood!"** Kurama was actually enjoying this moment for the sole reason that Naruto was stuck in this compromising predicament. "**Kid you realize that with all of the hot ass you're gonna get, your friends back home will call you a god! I bet these women could probably suck a whole watermelon through a straw!"**

"_Oh shut the hell up, you furry asshole! You're not helping!" _He was going down fast and had to get out of there or he'd end up dead…or probably comatose from the blood loss! _"It's bad enough my teacher is a pervert horndog, but this crazy fox takes the cake! Alright, let's see if they like some ninja skill"_ He did the best he could to use a Kawarimi and get out of the mob. Thinking fast, he created 15 Kage Bunshin. "Well guys, happy birthday and don't get killed!" the real Naruto took off running up a flight of stairs while the clones stared at the mass of untamed flesh and hormone. Things stood still as the clones looked on as if they were a pack of gazelle staring at a bunch of ravenous lions.

"I just realized something." Said one clone.

"What's that?" said another clone.

"He used the modified seals. We're stuck here unless we get hit with enough force to knock out a bull elephant." Said the first clone.

"Oh sh..!" all the clones said in unison as the women jumped each one and proceeded to…uh…** (A/N we're still gonna keep this within a T rating people. Just use your imagination...no matter how twisted and perverted it is. Just mind you at this point Jiraiya is drunk off his ass somewhere and Kurama can't wait until Naruto dispels these clones so he can see just what his host got! Damn pervs!)**

* * *

(pause flashback)

"You mean Jiraiya-sama actually did that to you? And Kurama went along with it too? Wow, Hinata you landed one hell of a man if he can rise above that level of perversity." Ino couldn't believe just how crazy a predicament Naruto was in.

"Wonder how he's gonna react when he finds out Hinata's the one with the naughty side." Sakura chuckled, causing Hinata to turn beet red in the face.

"Sakura-chan! That's not true…entirely." Hinata responded, with her last word as quietly as possible.

"Yeah right! You couldn't wait for Naruto to get back so you could give him a good once-over!" Ino added to the embarrassment.

"Why did you have to say it in front of him?" Hinata pulled her blanket over her head in shame. Naruto however didn't really let it get to him.

"It's ok Hinata-chan. You know, you're cute when you're blushing like that." Naruto said, giving her a bit of calm. "Now back to the story…"

* * *

(continue flashback.)

As for the real Naruto, he rushed up the stairs to a hallway full of rooms. Throwing caution to the wind, he ran in the first room he found and quickly locked the door.

"Holy cow! I didn't think a birthday could be this insane! I would have been better off fighting the mobs back home!" He was breathing heavily. He had lost his jacket and his shirt, and his shoes, but he luckily still had his pants on. Since he was focused on calming down, he didn't notice that there was someone else in the room.

"It is your birthday? Very well master, I shall do my best to please you tonight. What is it you would like me to do?" Naruto turned to see a teenage girl…almost the same age as him, wearing nothing but a loose fitting yukata.

"Wait, what…master? What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Forgive me master. I did not introduce myself. My name is Kurumi. I have been assigned to this room. I thank you for choosing me. I may be young but I will do my best to satisfy you." Kurumi began to remove her robe, revealing she wasn't wearing anything else but Naruto quickly stepped in.

"Whoa, hold on! Wait a minute! Geez!" He ran in and pulled her robe back up on her shoulders, making sure not to stare at her chest. "What is it with girls and women wanting to get naked all of a sudden?"

"But master, do you not wish me to satisfy you tonight?" Kurumi pouted.

Naruto shook his head to think. "Ok look, first of all, I'm not your master. My name's Naruto. Second…why in the hell is a girl like you here? I mean come on?"

"Forgive me Master Naruto…" Kurumi said.

"Naruto. No Master, no sir, no nothing. Just Naruto."

"Very well. I am one of the young geisha in training. It is my job to fulfill your every desire and to satisfy you tonight." Kurumi bowed curtly. "However I think that I have already failed my job. Forgive me."

Naruto just stood there. In front of him was a teenage girl no older than him that honestly looked very cute. In fact she kinda reminded him of Hinata. "Holy crap…what…I can't be here! I'm engaged for Kami's sake!" Kurumi looked at him quaintly. "Sorry, I should probably explain. I'm a shinobi training with my master and apparently he felt it worthwhile to bring me here today since it's my 15th birthday. He seems to think I should partake in the pleasures of the flesh."

"Well that is the dream of most teenage boys." Kurumi replied as she sat on the large bed. "Why is it that you wish not to use me this night?"

"For one thing…I don't use people. I mean I'll be honest…you're cute…very cute. Seriously part of me as a guy is screaming 'please take that yukata off!' right now so there's no doubt that I am somewhat a normal teenage guy." That caused a heavy blush to appear on Kurumi's face. "But the thing is there's a girl back home that loves me with everything in her being. I became engaged to her two years ago, and although she was one of my best friends, I didn't know if I really loved her because, I never knew about loving someone." Naruto said as he sat down on the bed and laid back to stretch out. "As my training went on, she kept sending me letters, telling me about her own training. She would also send me care packages with things she cooked. Honestly it made me realize just how special she is."

Kurumi listened to his words and could see how sincere he was. "She must be very special to you then. I apologize for my actions. I do not wish to cause any strife for you. If you will excuse me, I shall depart."

Just as she was about to get up from the bed, Naruto grabbed her wrist, "Hey now, you said your job was to satisfy me tonight. Well I like to talk to people and get to know them. I find that satisfying because I can learn so much from them just by talking. So as far as I'm concerned, you've barely put a toe in the pool."

"Well what would you like to know about me Naruto?" Kurumi sat back down and began conversation.

"First of all I want to know what a girl like you is doing in a place like this? I mean you look like you're about 15. Most girls that age I know are either working with their families or are full fledged kunoichi." Naruto said.

"Actually, I'm 14. And I almost became a kunoichi. When I was 9 I was almost ready to graduate from the academy in Taki and become a Genin. I wanted to use my shinobi career to help me become a cryptologist." Kurumi began. "I really liked codes and how to decipher them."

"Really? That's awesome! So why didn't you keep going?" asked Naruto.

Kurumi was surprised. Naruto was highly intrigued by her story, "Just before the graduation exams, our village was attacked. My parents and I fled the village, but being shinobi, they returned to try and defend. Unfortunately…that was the last day I ever saw them." A tear started to trickle down her eye as she continued. "This was the first village I came to. I had no money and not many people are willing to take in some unknown 9 year old girl. Well…except this place. The owner saw me and took me in. I had a place to live, but I had to help work. I worked as a servant, helping with the cooking and cleaning and as I got older, I soon moved up to this position."

"You mean you've done this before?" Naruto said in shock.

Kurumi blushed heavily, "Um not really. You would have been my first. When I first saw you, I was so nervous."

"I can tell. So, this whole thing aside…what all did you like about being a ninja?" Naruto asked.

The conversation carried well on into the night. Naruto learned that Kurumi was really talented at codes and deciphering, and Kurumi learned just how much fun and honest Naruto was. Dawn was approaching and Naruto figured he needed to drag Jiraiya back to the hotel.

"Wow morning already." Naruto said as he saw the sunrise through the window. "Guess we just kept going non-stop, huh Kurumi-chan?"

"We did Naruto-kun, but I really enjoyed talking with you tonight. I hope someday I'll still be able to achieve my dream." Kurumi said.

"Actually…hold on for a minute." Luckily Naruto still had his tool pouch with him. He took out two scrolls and began writing something. After he was finished, he took out another seal and took out a small purse from the seal. "Ero-sennin thinks he can take all of my hard earned money…well he doesn't know all my tricks."

"Naruto-kun, what's that?" Kurumi looked at the two scrolls.

"First off, this is your pay." Naruto handed her the purse that contained a very LARGE amount of money. "See, I happen to think your services were top notch tonight. Very so much that I would like to personally request your services back in my home village." That's when he showed the first scroll. "Give this scroll to your boss. If I'm right, after today you'll be well on your way to Konoha. Once you get there, meet with the Hokage and give her this second scroll."

"Naruto-kun, I don't know what to say? I mean, thank you!" Kurumi said with a warm smile. Having a knack for understanding codes and hidden meanings, Kurumi instantly understood what Naruto meant by personally requesting her services.

"Hey, just know that one of my goals as a Hokage is to see everyone in my village achieve their dreams. Well, take care and hopefully I'll see you in a year or so." Naruto left Kurumi in the room and headed out, only to remember about the Kage Bunshin, "Oh hell…I couldn't have!" He ran downstairs back to the booth to see all 15 of his clones in some very…compromising positions. He was afraid of what was going to happen when he released those clones. "This is really gonna suck!"

* * *

(end flashback)

"Kurumi…I remember her! That's the new girl that just became a Genin a few months ago and started the apprenticeship in the Cipher division!" Ino said. "I remember because we were all finishing up with Shishou for the day when she got to Konoha."

"So the scrolls you gave her were to get her to Konoha?" asked Sakura.

"Yep. The first scroll said that I had been very pleased with her services and as the heir of the house of Namikaze, I wanted to have her as a personal assistant. I also gave the owner a good chunk of money from my inheritance. That was enough to get Kurumi released, thinking she'd be coming to Konoha for me. The second scroll was asking Baa-chan to help her finish up her training and get her promoted to Genin, so she could start on her dream." Naruto explained. "I knew it all worked out when I got the message from her."

"That's why she asked to meet me!" Hinata suddenly remembered the scene. "Your message to Tsunade-shishou asked Kurumi to meet me because of the messenger toad."

"Yup. That reminds me, when we get back home, I should look her up and see how she's doing. It'll be nice to catch up on some good conversation." Naruto said as he noticed night had fallen. "Well you guys should get some sleep.

"Naruto, one question…whatever happened when you dispelled the clones?" asked Temari.

Kurama overheard this and decided to butt in. **"Yeah kid, tell 'em what happened when you dispelled the clones!"**

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine, "Kami help me. That is something I never want to think about again! I never knew that women could get so…primal!" All four girls immediately went red in the face with embarrassment. "You don't have a side like that, do you Hina-chan?"

"I…well…um…I…eep!" Hinata turned completely red all over as she covered her head with her blanket again.

"Heh, isn't she cute?" Naruto commented. "Well, the entrance is sealed off just enough to keep proper air circulation, so no need to worry about keeping watch. Let's get about 6-8 hours of good sleep. Temari, how long do you think we have before we get to Suna?"

"From the rate we've been going, I'd say we're about eight hours away." Temari replied. "If we up our pace, we might be able to shave an hour or two off."

"Alright, we'll get eight hours of sleep then and make it to Suna in 6." Naruto said as he used his backpack as a pillow. "And to get back to your question Sakura-chan, the four of you are very beautiful and attractive and if I didn't already commit myself to Hinata-chan, part of me probably would try to undress you with my eyes." That caused the girls to all blush. "Rest easy everyone."

"Good night Naruto." Everyone else quickly dozed off. However Hinata was the last one awake when she noticed Naruto was out cold.

"_He was so busy making sure we were ok that he forgot to keep warm himself."_ Hinata looked over the blonde. She already knew just what he had from the shower incident, but she even saw traces of shivers run across his body. _"I wonder…if Kurama hadn't been taken over that night…would he have had a better life with Minato-sama and Kushina-sama? Well they may not be here anymore, but I promise you Naruto-kun, I'll never leave your side."_ Hinata quietly got up and moved next to Naruto. She worked her way into his arms and worked them around so he would have them on her back, making sure not to get his hands stuck in her bra. She could feel the heat leaving his body, so she shared her own as she pulled the blanket over the two of them.

* * *

Time passed quickly for the shinobi as the rains had gone. Everyone else was still asleep, except for Naruto. He awoke to see that Hinata was snuggled up to his chest. He could also see the blanket that he gave her was slightly falling off her shoulders as well. _"Hmm…what smells so good?"_ Even after the rainstorm, he could still smell the light fragrance Hinata wore. It smelled of lavender and was very pleasing. _"I never knew Hina-chan could be so cute when she's asleep." _He then got a closer look at what she was wearing. _"Well Ero-sennin did say a man should always appreciate an attractive woman. I will say this, Hinata-chan got smoking hot in three years! If she's that hot in her underwear, I wonder…" _Naruto shook his head and smiled. He'd keep that image to himself and appreciate just what he now had. But for now he figured it was best to get up and get ready, and possibly prepare a small breakfast for his team. However the surprise was slowly interrupted when Sakura was the next one awake.

"Morning everyone. That had to be the best…" Her eyes focused to Naruto trying to slip out of Hinata's arms, especially when she knew the two fell asleep apart from each other. She did take this opportunity to do something she hadn't done in over three years…tease Naruto. "Hey Naruto…seems you had a good night last night."

"S-s-sakura-chan! This isn't…I mean it's not…I mean we didn't do anything!" Naruto stuttered out. He was definitely nervous as who knows what since it did look like he was in a compromising situation.

"Oh _really?_ Then why is one of Hinata's bra straps slightly off her shoulder?" Sakura shot a small glance in that direction, causing Naruto to sweat even more.

"I…I don't know! I promise I didn't do anything!"

Sakura started giggling as Naruto was flipping out. "It's ok Naruto-kun. If anything happened, we would have heard Hinata-chan last night. We hinted this last night, but she does have a little bit of a perverted side when it comes to you. You should have heard her some nights back when we were in training. Those dreams of hers were so wild sometimes, we'd hear 'Naruto-kun, please Naruto-kun, make me into a woman!'"

That really made Naruto go red in the face. "Hina-chan said that in her sleep?"

"It's ok Naruto-kun. Tsunade-shishou said it's perfectly normal for a teenage girl in love. Guess she did everything right when it came to you." Sakura said as she went for her clothes to get dressed.

"Sakura-chan I…"

"Naruto-kun, it's ok. If anyone deserves a wonderful guy like you…it's her." Sakura said as she put her top on. "Maybe someday we'll all find someone like you."

Naruto felt honored that Sakura thought of him that way. "Thanks Sakura-chan."

The two finished getting dressed and started breakfast. Ino and Temari were the next to wake up and Hinata was the last one.

"Hey Hina-chan, sleep ok?" asked Naruto.

"Uh huh. That was the best sleep I've had in months. Although it felt strange because something was poking me in the stomach last night." She said as she rubbed her eyes. Naruto froze and went red in the face again as Sakura started laughing.

"Hey forehead, what's so funny? And why is Naruto red in the face?" Ino questioned as she checked her gear.

"Oh it's nothing. Naruto-kun might have been a little stiff from sleeping on the ground last night." Sakura said with a giggle.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto whined out.

Ino just looked confused, but blew it off. "Ok you two obviously are not the Naruto and Sakura from a few years ago." It took her a few minutes but she suddenly got what Sakura meant. "Oh! Now I get it." Her eyes were now on Naruto. She had a sly look on her face with a devilish smile.

"Don't you start too!" Naruto was doing everything he could to defend himself.

"Start what?" Hinata was now fully awake wondering what everyone else was talking about.

"Oh, nothing." Ino giggled as everyone else finished preparing.

* * *

The team was back on the move full speed to Suna in hopes of recovering Gaara back from the Akatsuki. Temari figured she'd try to get a little more info about Naruto.

"Naruto, you said that you're now on more of a mutual respect level with Kurama. How difficult was it for you to do that?"

"It wasn't easy in the beginning. For a while he still saw me as a worthless human." Naruto explained. "I had to go through some pretty tough training before he would see that I was serious in wanting to get rid of the animosity between us."

"Do you think Gaara could do that with his Bijuu?" Temari hoped it was possible as it may give Gaara some kind of comfort in life.

"It's possible. Once we get him back, I'll talk to Kurama and see what Gaara would need to do with his Bijuu." Naruto said with determination. "For now let's get back to…"

"Naruto look out!" Hinata quickly pushed Naruto to the side, deftly avoiding some kunai that would have hit him. "We've got trouble."

"Trouble, where…" The group paused as Naruto started surveying the area. "Hina-chan, do you see any unusual chakra signatures?"

"Not likely. Mine is very difficult to find." Naruto instantly recognized that voice. He turned to a tree and saw a person in ANBU combat garb with a familiar mask.

"Crow-sensei, interesting meeting you here." Naruto recognized his second teacher Crow. "Guys, this was one of the ANBU helping to train me on my journey."

"Caught you off guard there Naruto. You're lucky you had a good teammate watching your back." Crow commented. "The former Hyuuga heir none the less."

"Naruto-kun how does he know about me?" Hinata was shocked to know that his teacher knew her and she'd never heard of him.

"I know much my lady. I even know about your other teammates. I stay quite informed." Crow replied. "And I believe you are in route to rescue the Kazekage from the Akatsuki."

"Do you might know where he's being taken?" Naruto asked, hoping for a lead.

"Unfortunately no. I do know it will be a secure location where they will perform the extraction ritual to remove and seal the Ichibi." Crow shook his head. "However I did find a hint that may help you. You will need to 'go to the place where water and stone are in harmony'."

"Water and stone in harmony…what's that supposed to mean?" Ino tried to figure out what exactly was the message.

"You know Kurumi-chan would be a big help right about now." Naruto sighed as he thought of the hidden meaning behind the clue as well.

Crow then threw two scrolls at Naruto. "Work together to decipher the clue Naruto. You have an excellent team and they will not fail you. Also give these to Tsunade-sama. She will be pleased with this information."

"Thanks Crow-sensei. When will we meet again?" Naruto hoped for another reunion soon.

"In time my friend. But one final hint of advice for you. I hear Suna has a very nice spa. After the mission you should treat your friends. You know the staff will be happy to see you again." Crow made a quick handsign and in a puff of smoke he was gone.

"Naruto…" Sakura started to ask but Naruto cut her off.

"It's another story you'll love hearing. I'll tell you after the mission. Just know that you'll love seaweed wraps." Naruto put the scrolls away. "Let's go. Gaara is waiting for us."

The girls all nodded as the team took off full speed. But each of them had more questions about the friend they all knew. Hopefully in time they would all know.

* * *

**So just a lighthearted chapter showing that Naruto really is just a normal teenage guy. It's too bad that he had to be trained by a super pervert and now has another super pervert sealed inside him, but least he proved he could rise up against the perversity! But what did the hint from Crow mean? And what about Hinata? What's she going to do now that her two best friends are probably going to embarass her more around Naruto!**

**On another note I was wondering if I could get a little help from the artistic fans out there. I want to know if anyone is good with making avatars. I figure a picture of Splash Woman from Megaman 9 is kinda confusing as heck for anyone that sees it, so I was hoping if someone could make me a new one. I've been looking all over the place for a really cool avatar pic of Kenshin Himura(my namesake) with like sunglasses or something(if that even exists) and then it would have the name "Neokenshin" in letters at the bottom. So if there are any artists out there, mind helping an author out?  
**

**Till next time! Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**


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